The Press Information Bureau (PIB) on Wednesday firmly rejected misinformation circulated by "several pro-Pakistan social media accounts," which falsely claimed that Indian Army Northern Commander Lt Gen MV Suchindra Kumar had been 'removed' following the Pahalgam attack. The PIB clarified that the officer is retiring on April 30 upon reaching the age of superannuation. For the unversed, Lt Gen MV Suchindra Kumar took charge as the General Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Indian Army’s Northern Command in February 2024, succeeding Gen Upendra Dwivedi, who now serves as the Chief of Army Staff. PIB further clarified that Lt Gen Pratik Sharma will assume the role of Northern Army Commander following his departure.
Taking to X, PIB Posted, “Several pro-Pakistan social media accounts falsely claim that Northern Commander Lt Gen Suchindra Kumar has been removed from his post after the Pahalgam incident #PIBFactCheck The claims being made in these posts are #fakeLt. Gen MV Suchindra Kumar is attaining superannuation on April 30.Lt Gen Pratik Sharma will be appointed as the new Northern Army Commander.”
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Apart from PIB, the Defence Ministry also issued a statement quashing these false messages and urged people not to believe in these kinds of fraudulent messages. A few days ago, PIB fact-checked another fake news that stated Pakistan had shot down an Indian Rafale fighter jet along the Line of Control (LoC) in the Poonch sector of Kashmir. The news bureau advised users to be cautious while sharing unverified claims circulating on social media platforms. Taking to X, PIB posted, "Several pro-Pakistan social media accounts are falsely claiming that Pakistan has shot down an Indian Rafale fighter jet along the Line of Control (LoC) in the Poonch sector of Kashmir. Pakistan Army has NOT shot down any Indian fighter jet. The video shared is of a Sukhoi-30MKI fighter jet that crashed in Maharashtra in June 2024. Users are advised to exercise caution while sharing unverified claims circulating on social media platforms.”
This occurs in the midst of the government's continuous crackdown on sources that spread false and misleading narratives and misinformation about India, as well as content that is inflammatory and sensitive to certain communities. The government previously blocked 16 Pakistani YouTube channels on the MHA's advice, targeting individual artists such as former cricket player Shoaib Akhtar as well as Dawn News, Samaa TV, Ary News, and Geo News.