Fact Check: Donations To Indian Army’s Bank Account Are Not Used For Purchasing Weapons

Amidst the rising war rhetoric after the Pahalgam terror attack that claimed the lives of 26 Indians, a post is going viral on social media seeking donations to the Indian Army’s AFBCWF (Armed Forces Battle Casualties Welfare Fund) account for purchasing weapons.

Claiming that the Narendra Modi government has opened a special bank account to receive donations for the welfare of the families of soldiers who died in the war, the post says that every Indian can donate any amount to the ‘Armed Forces Battle Casualties Welfare Fund’ (AFBCWF) bank account to financially help the families of soldiers, and adds that the donation will also be used to purchase weapons for the army and paramilitary forces. 

The bank account details mentioned in the post is a Canara Bank A/C with the name: Army Welfare Fund Battle Casualties, A/C Number- 90552010165915, IFSC Code- CNRB0000267, South Extension Branch, New Delhi.) 

The posts also say that it was film actor Akshay Kumar who made the request to initiate such a fund.

An archived version of the same post can be seen here.

Also Read: Pahalgam Terror Attack: Pakistan Army Ammunition Depot Destroyed By India? Here’s The Truth Behind Viral Video

Fact Check/Verification

We found details regarding the AFBCWF bank account mentioned in the post on the official website of the Indian Army,  which reads, “There is an account called Armed Forces Battle Casualty Welfare Fund, which is maintained by the Government of India/Ministry of Defence for the families of the deceased belonging to  the Indian Army, Navy and Air Force.

The contributions received in the fund are used to provide financial assistance to the next of kin  and dependents of the deceased personnel of the Army, Navy and Air Force.” However, there is no mention anywhere in the description that the contributions received in the bank account are used to purchase military equipment for the Army or paramilitary forces. Nowhere on this website does it say that this fund was created at the behest of Akshay Kumar.

We also found a clarification by the Indian Army’s Additional Directorate General of Public Information issued on August 26, 2020 regarding this viral post circulating on social media.

Confirming the rumours to be false, the clarification given on X read, “Reports on social media about the Armed Forces using contributions from the War Martyrs Welfare Fund to purchase weapons and equipment are not true. It is clarified that this fund was started in response to the sincere desire of citizens to contribute towards the welfare of war martyrs/their next of kin and is being utilized for that purpose only.”

The search also revealed that the Ministry of Defence issued a press release on April 27, 2025, making clear that the bank account mentioned in the viral post was incorrect.

Responding to a user’s query on February 15, 2019, Syndicate Bank’s X-account ‘ Syndicate Bank – Now Canara Bank ‘, said that the contributions received in the fund will be used to provide grants to the widows and dependents of those who died in the war. Syndicate bank was merged with Canara Bank in 2020.

In response to another customer’s query, Canara Bank’s x Profile also clarified that after the merger, the syndicate IFCN codes were deactivated and converted to Canara Bank codes. The new account number is also given on the Army’s website.

Conclusion

Our investigation has revealed that the ‘Armed Forces Battle Casualty Welfare Fund’ is not being used to purchase weapons as claimed in the posts. The fund is being used to provide financial assistance/grants to the dependents and widows of those killed in war.

Sources
X post by @syndicatebank on February 15, 2019
X post by @adgp i on August 26, 2020
Press Release from the Ministry of Defence on April 27, 2025
Indian Army Website