On November 13, The Hindu reported that Pakistan breached ceasefire along the Line of Control in four Jammu and Kashmir districts. In the backdrop of this, on November 15, Muhammad Arif, a former Pakistani army major tweeted an image of coffins covered with Indian flags and wrote, “Reportedly yesterday’s score was 28. Well done boys. Keep it up.” This tweet gained over 6,000 likes and more than 1,000 retweets (archived link). The image has been shared by several Twitter and Facebook users.

The same image was shared by Tamil Nadu-based actor Neelima Esai in 2019. She had tweeted, “It’s so disturbing and disheartening to see my brothers like this! Shedding tears along with the families, #Pulawama attack!! May your souls rest in peace we have to stop this @crpfindia pls” (archived link)

Fact-check

The Hindu reported that 11 people, including six civilians, four Army soldiers and one Border Security Force soldier were killed and over 20 others injured in ceasefire violations by Pakistan on November 13. On the same day, the spokesperson of Pakistan armed forces tweeted, “…1 citizen embraced shahadat, 3 civilians incl 2 women got injured.

PIB Kerala tweeted a video of the martyrs’ tribute ceremony by the Indian Army on November 13. The visuals of the tribute do not match the viral photograph.

Alt News performed a reverse image search on Google and found that the viral image was published on various websites over the years as a representative image including Rediff News in 2010, International Business Times (IBT) in 2014, and Euro News and The Quint in 2017. IBT and Rediff News credited the image to Reuters. The image caption on Rediff News mentioned at the end of the article reads, “CRPF personnel pay tribute to policemen who died in a Maoist attack in Dantewada.

The Rediff News article is an interview with former Indian Police Service officer Kiran Bedi in July 2010, three months after a Maoist attack in the jungles of Dantewada in which 76 Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) soldiers were martyred.

Therefore, a former Pakistani army major posted at least a decade old image of Indian martyrs with the false claim that 28 Indian troopers lost lives in ceasefire violations by Pakistan on November 13. Four army men and one BSF soldier had died in the clashes.

About the Author

🙏 Blessed to have worked as a fact-checking journalist from November 2019 to February 2023.