Amid rising tensions between India and Pakistan following the Pahalgam terror attack, a dramatic video showing the burning wreckage of a fighter jet is going viral on social media. The clip is being shared with the claim that India shot down a Pakistani JF-17 fighter jet along the Line of Control (LoC) in the Naran sector of Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir.
The caption with the video reads: “Reports suggest that India has shot down an #Pakistan JF-17 fighter jet along the Line of Control (LoC) in the Naran sector of Pakistan occupied Jammu and Kashmir. #PahalgamTerroristAttack #Pahalgam”
The above post can be seen here (archive)
FACT CHECK
NewsMobile fact-checked the claim attached to the video and found it to be misleading.
We extracted keyframes from the video and conducted a Reverse Image Search, which led us to an Instagram post dated June 11, 2024, featuring the same visuals. However, the caption there stated that the video showed the crash of an Indian Air Force Sukhoi-30MKI in Maharashtra’s Nashik.
Following this lead, a keyword search revealed multiple credible reports confirming the incident. According to media coverage, an IAF Sukhoi-30MKI fighter jet crashed on June 04, 2024, during a test flight after an overhaul by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL). The aircraft had taken off from Ozar Air Force Station in Nashik, Maharashtra. Both the pilot and co-pilot ejected safely. (These reports can be seen here, here and here)
Further, the same video was posted on the verified Facebook page of ET Now on June 04, 2024, corroborating that the visuals are from the Nashik crash, not from any recent cross-border military action.
In conclusion, the viral claim that India shot down a Pakistani JF-17 fighter jet is false. The video in circulation actually shows an Indian Sukhoi jet crash in Nashik earlier in June 2024.
