Operation Sindoor: Indian Jet Shot Down By Pak Forces? No, News Report On IAF Plane Crash In Gujarat Edited To Make False Claim

Visuals show an Indian Jaguar jet shot down by the Pakistani forces in response to the ‘Operation Sindoor’ carried out by India on May 7.

Such posts can be seen here and here.

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On carefully analysing the viral clip, we noticed the watermarks of new outlet “Republic” on the left side of the screen. However, we were not able to find any reports by Republic Bharat and its affiliate outlets “confirming” that Pakistan has shot down an Indian fighter jet. 

Further, we noticed a watermark of “Inshot”, a video editing tool, on the bottom right corner in the viral clip, indicating that the clip was edited. Notably, the ticker on the top right corner saying “Breaking News HD” in the viral clip was not seen in the recent reports by the outlet. 

We found that a video report by Republic Bharat, live streamed on May 2, 2025, featured the same tickers as seen in the viral clip. However, the visuals and audio were found to be different.

A comparison between the viral clip and YouTube video by Republic Bharat confirmed that the former was manipulated.

We then looked up the image used in the viral post on Google Lens which led us to a report by Times Of India, dated April 4, 2025. Carrying the same image, the report elaborated on IAF Jaguar fighter jet in Jamnagar, Gujarat. 

“An IAF Jaguar two-seater aircraft airborne from Jamnagar airfield crashed during a night mission. The pilots faced a technical malfunction and initiated ejection, avoiding harm to the airfield and local population. Unfortunately, one pilot succumbed to his injuries, while the other is receiving medical treatment at a hospital in Jamnagar,” the report quoted an IAF statement as saying.

An India Today report, dated April 3, 2025, also featured the same image, corroborating that it shows the wreckage of an IAF fighter jet which crashed in Gujarat’s Jamnagar. The crash resulted in the death of Flight Lieutenant Siddharth Yadav, it added. 

Further, we found that the viral clip used in the post was also related to the same IAF jet crash in Jamnagar in April 2025. A report by The New Indian Express carried a screengrab from the same clip with the caption, “The fighter jet crashed in an open field at Suvarda village, nearly 12km from Jamnagar city and caught fire.” 

A video report by Republic Bharat on the Jamnagar Crash also carried a snippet from the viral clip. 

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Hence, it is learnt that the old visuals from an IAF jet crash in Gujarat’s Jamnagar have been shared to falsely claim that an Indian Jaguar jet was shot down by Pakistan. 

Sources
Report By Times Of India, Dated April 4, 2025
Report By India Today, Dated April 3, 2025
Report By The New Indian Express, Dated April 2, 2025
YouTube Video By Republic Bharat, Dated May 2, 2025

(With inputs from Runjay Kumar of Newschecker Hindi.)