Govt debunks claims of Army commander 'removal' after Pahalgam attack as fake
New Delhi, Apr 30 (PTI): The government's Press Information Bureau (PIB) on Wednesday debunked claims made in posts by "several pro-Pakistan social media accounts" that the commander of Indian Army's Northern Command, Lt Gen MV Suchindra Kumar, has been 'removed' from his post after the Pahalgam attack.
The general officer attained superannuation on April 30 after completing an illustrious career of four decades in the Indian Army, which in a post on X expressed "deep gratitude for his exemplary leadership, utmost professionalism and unblemished service to the nation".
"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 #fake," PIB Fact Check wrote on X.
It posted a collage of such 'reports' having false claims on the microblogging platform.
There have been several misleading posts on social media amid heightened tension between New Delhi and Islamabad following the recent terror attack in Pahalgam in Jammu and Kashmir. On April 22, terrorists shot dead 26 people, mostly tourists, at a meadow in Baisaran of south Kashmir's Pahalgam.
Lt Gen Kumar had assumed charge as the General Officer Commanding-in-Chief (GOC-in-C) of the Udhampur-based Northern Command of the Indian Army in February 2024.
He attained superannuation on April 30. Lt Gen Pratik Sharma will be the new general officer commanding-in-chief of the northern command and will assume office on Thursday.
Lt Gen Kumar had earlier served as the Vice Chief of the Army Staff.
In another post on X on Wednesday, PIB Fact Check flagged that an X handle is circulating a "fake" image on social media that "falsely claims that a formal Court of Inquiry has been ordered" against Lt Gen Kumar.
"An X handle (@commandeleven), operated by ISI proxies (blocked in India), is circulating an image on social media that falsely claims that a formal Court of Inquiry has been ordered against Lieutenant General MV Suchindra Kumar of the Northern Command, who was earlier taken into custody for the Pahalgam incident.
"#PIBFactCheck This image is fake No such post has ever been done by the official X handle of @HQ_IDS_India (Headquarters Integrated Defence Staff)," it wrote on the micro-blogging platform.
Earlier in the day, the Army replying to a post by its Northern Command on X on Wednesday said the general officer was "given a befitting farewell by the brave men and women of the Command".
"Lieutenant General MV Suchindra Kumar after completing an illustrious career of four decades in the Indian Army, today relinquished the Command of Indian Army's Northern Command.
"He was given a befitting farewell by the brave men and women of the Command. The Indian Army expresses deep gratitude for his exemplary leadership, utmost professionalism and unblemished service to the Nation," it said.
The Northern Command in its post wrote that Lt Gen Kumar laid a wreath to honour the supreme sacrifice of the bravehearts at Dhruva War Memorial, Udhampur on superannuation and relinquishing command of the Northern Command.
The PIB had on Monday flagged that some pro-Pakistan social media accounts are falsely claiming that 'confidential documents' related to the preparedness of the Indian Army have been "leaked".
In a post on X, PIB Fact Check dubbed these documents as "fake".
The Ministry of Defence on Sunday cautioned that a "misleading" message is doing the rounds on WhatsApp claiming that the government has opened a bank account seeking donations for the modernisation of the Indian Army.
In a statement, the ministry had debunked the message and urged people to "remain cautious and not fall prey to such fraudulent messages".
The PIB Fact Check had also alerted people about this "misleading" message with a post on X on Sunday.
An X handle (@commandeleven), operated by ISI proxies (blocked in India), is circulating an image on social media that falsely claims that a formal Court of Inquiry has been ordered against Lieutenant General MV Suchindra Kumar of the Northern Command, who was earlier taken into… pic.twitter.com/UJwYErT9Zi
— PIB Fact Check (@PIBFactCheck) April 30, 2025
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IAF to hold 2-day wargame along frontier with Pakistan: NOTAM issued
New Delhi, May 6 (PTI): The Indian Air Force will carry out a two-day mega military exercise along the border with Pakistan from Wednesday that will involve all the frontline fighter jets including Rafale, Su-30 and Jaguar aircraft, sources in the defence establishment said on Tuesday.
The exercise is taking place amid heightened tensions between India and Pakistan over the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 people.
India's civil aviation authorities have already issued a Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) for the major air exercise that will largely take place along the southern and western section of the Indo-Pakistan border.
India's frontline fighter jets including the Rafale, Su-30 MKI, MiG-29, Mirage-2000, Tejas and AWACS (Airborne Warning and Control System) aircraft are set to feature in the exercise, the sources said.
In the course of the exercise, the IAF will simulate enemy targets on ground and in the air with deadly precision, they said.
The militaries of both India and Pakistan are on a high alert following rising tensions between the two nations.
Soon after the Pahalgam terror attack, India, citing "cross-border linkages" to the strike, promised severe punishment to those involved in it.
In a high-level meeting with the top defence brass on April 29, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the armed forces have "complete operational freedom" to decide on the mode, targets and timing of India's response to the terror attack.
Air Chief Marshal A P Singh met Prime Minister Modi on Sunday and the Chief of Air Staff briefed him about the IAF's operational readiness.
On Saturday, Navy Chief Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi apprised the prime minister on the overall situation in the critical sea lanes in the Arabian Sea.
