Amid heightened tensions between India and Pakistan, the Indian government has taken strong action against misinformation regarding the Indian Armed Forces and Operation Sindoor. On Tuesday, India officially banned the X (formerly Twitter) handles of two prominent Chinese state-run media outlets—Global Times and Xinhua News Agency—for spreading unverified and misleading information.
In addition, the X handle of Turkish media outlet TRT World has also been banned in India.
Why Were Global Times and Xinhua Banned?
The decision comes in response to recent posts by Global Times, which claimed that Indian Rafale fighter jets were shot down by Pakistan during Operation Sindoor. The post was accompanied by a photo allegedly showing the downed aircraft.
However, India’s Press Information Bureau (PIB) quickly debunked the claim, stating that the image was from a 2021 MiG-21 crash in Moga, Punjab, and had no connection to the current military operation.
Chinese Embassy in Delhi Had Issued a Warning
Earlier on Tuesday, the Chinese Embassy in India had warned Global Times to verify information before publishing anything related to Operation Sindoor. The embassy posted on X:
“Several Pakistan-aligned X handles are spreading unverified claims about Operation Sindoor. Publishing such content without fact-checking violates journalistic ethics and misleads the public.”
Despite the warning, the Chinese media outlets continued to circulate the misleading content, prompting the Indian government to impose the ban.
India’s Message: No Tolerance for Disinformation
Government sources say that misleading content that harms the image of the Indian Army or spreads confusion during sensitive military operations will not be tolerated. Strong action, including digital bans and possible legal steps, will be taken against accounts—foreign or domestic—that spread fake news regarding national security matters.
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