An old video of a fighter jet accident in Maharashtra is now being shared online with a false claim that it shows an Indian Rafale fighter jet shot down by Pakistan.
BOOM found that the video actually shows an Indian Air Force SU-30MKI fighter jet that crashed in Nashik on June 4, 2024, during a test sortie from HAL Nashik at Sirsa Gaon.
Following the deadly terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, on April 22 that claimed 26 lives, India took significant diplomatic measures against Pakistan and announced that it would place the Indus Waters Treaty in "abeyance" as part of efforts to halt the flow of water to its neighbouring country. In response, Pakistan called the decision an act of war and further claimed to have credible evidence that India would carry out military action against Pakistan within the next 24-36 hours.
Amid rising tensions, the video is being shared with a caption, "Breaking News: Pakistan Air Force shoots down two Indian Rafale fighter jets along the LOC border, Alhamdullilah. Pakistan army is showing no mercy at all on slums of India".
Click here to view the post and here for an archive.
Fact Check
BOOM broke the video into keyframes and ran a reverse image search on them. The search led us to a post by news outlet ET Now on its official Facebook page, featuring the same video on June 4, 2024.
The post stated that the video shows an Indian Air Force (IAF) Sukhoi fighter jet that crashed in Nashik, Maharashtra on June 4, 2024, with both pilots safely ejecting before the impact.
Click here to view the post and here for an archive. We also came across several reports from various news outlets covering the incident.
On June 4, 2024, The Hindu reported, citing a Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) official, that an Indian Air Force (IAF) SU-30MKI fighter jet, recently overhauled by HAL, crashed in Maharashtra's Nashik during a test sortie from HAL Nashik at Sirsa Gaon.
The article said, "The fighter jet was being flown by Wing Commander Bokil and his second in command Biswas when it crashed in a farm in Shirasgaon village in Nifad tehsil at 1.20 p.m. A HAL official said a technical snag was reported by the pilots and the ‘exact reason’ of the crash will be known after a detailed probe."
The central government's fact-checking handle also debunked the claim, clarifying that no Indian Rafale fighter jet was shot down by Pakistan amid the diplomatic tensions between the two countries following the Pahalgam terror attack.
Click here to view the post and here for an archive.
