Aaj Tak, NDTV, India TV among channels that aired 4-year-old video as Jaisalmer airstrike
New Delhi: Amid heightened tensions between India and Pakistan, several prominent Indian TV news channels, including Aaj Tak, NDTV, and India TV, aired a video on May 9 claiming it showed the Indian Army intercepting a Pakistani airstrike in Jaisalmer, Rajasthan. However, a fact-check by Alt News revealed that the footage is at least four years old and completely unrelated to any recent conflict.
The video was broadcast during a segment on Aaj Tak hosted by anchor Anjana Om Kashyap, where it was described as footage of the Indian military thwarting a Pakistani airstrike “moments ago.” The same footage was aired in another bulletin presented by Sweta Singh on the same channel.
NDTV similarly presented the video as depicting live action from Jaisalmer. India TV and several other outlets — including Times Now, Times Now Navbharat, ABP News, News18, News Nation, and OneIndia also aired the same video with identical claims.
What’s the truth?
According to Alt News, the video was originally uploaded on May 11, 2021, by a YouTube channel named NSFchannel. The title of that video suggests it depicts Israel’s Iron Dome air defense system in action, not an Indian military engagement.
Although Alt News stated it has not independently verified the video’s exact origin, it confirmed that it is at least four years old and unrelated to the current India-Pakistan situation.
In conclusion, multiple national news broadcasters misrepresented an old video, presenting it as real-time footage of Indian forces intercepting a Pakistani airstrike in Jaisalmer, a claim now debunked through fact-checking.
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Road crash in UP leaves 10 dead
Lakhimpur Kheri (UP) (PTI): Ten people were killed when a van collided head-on with a truck on the Sisaiya-Lakhimpur national highway on Monday, police said.
The van was going to Sisaiya from Lakhimpur when the accident took place between Unchgaon and Bharehta villages.
Circle Officer of Dhaurahra, Shamsher Bahadur Singh, said all nine passengers travelling in the van and the driver were killed.
District Magistrate of Lakhimpur Kheri Anjani Kumar Singh told reporters that the van collided with a truck coming from the opposite direction, leading to nine casualties on the spot, while one succumbed to injuries at the district hospital.
Circle Officer, Dhaurahra, Shamsher Bahadur Singh told PTI, "Efforts are on to establish the identity of other deceased persons."
The seven of the deceased have been identified as Jaideep Singh (25), Pawan (23), Sohan (21), Ram Goyal (42), Sahajram (35), Pappu (18), all residents of Bahraich district and Adnan Khan (15), a resident of Lakhimpur Kheri district, police said.
Condoling the loss of lives in the accident, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath in a post on X, said, "The loss of life in the unfortunate road accident in Lakhimpur Kheri district is deeply distressing and heart-wrenching. My condolences are with the bereaved families."
"I have directed the local administration to provide prompt and adequate assistance to the injured and the victims. I pray to Lord Shri Ram to grant the departed souls a place at His divine feet and to bestow a speedy recovery upon the injured," Adityanath said on X.
Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya and Brajesh Pathak too condoled the loss of lives in the accident.
"The loss of lives resulting from the road accident in Lakhimpur Kheri district is deeply tragic and heart-wrenching. My deepest condolences go out to the bereaved families," Maurya said.
