New Delhi, Oct 17 (IANS) In a strong rebuttal to misinformation circulating on social media, the Press Information Bureau (PIB) on Friday issued a fact check clarifying that a viral post claiming three members of the same family — a father and his two daughters — were martyred while serving the nation is fake.

The viral post alleged that the father and his two daughters had died while serving in the Armed Forces. However, PIBFactCheck took to the social media platform ‘X’ to label the claim as false.

“The first photo being shared is from last year, when Lieutenant General D.P. Singh was promoted to three-star rank and assumed command of the Military Intelligence Training School and Depot in Pune. During the ceremony, Lieutenant General Singh’s two daughters, who also serve in the Indian Army, placed insignia on his uniform,” PIB clarified.

“The second photo is from 2018, depicting four Border Security Force personnel who were martyred in a ceasefire violation by Pakistani Rangers,” the post added.

PIB concluded its fact check with a cautionary note: “Don’t fall for such false claims. Trust only information from official sources.”

This isn’t the first time PIB has had to step in to dispel viral misinformation. Earlier, on October 2, PIB debunked a digitally altered video of Additional Deputy Commissioner (ADC) Leh, Ghulam Muhammad, which falsely claimed that climate activist Sonam Wangchuk had been arrested on the orders of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).

The video, manipulated using artificial intelligence, falsely portrayed the ADC as stating that Wangchuk’s arrest was directed by the MHA. PIB’s Fact Check unit categorically stated that the ADC made no such statement and that the video was a deepfake intended to mislead the public and incite panic.

“Fake AI videos are being spread to mislead and cause panic,” PIB had warned, urging citizens to verify information before sharing and to report misleading content to authorities.

The video surfaced after Wangchuk was arrested under the National Security Act (NSA) on September 26, following violent protests in Leh demanding Sixth Schedule status and statehood for Ladakh. The unrest resulted in four deaths and nearly 90 injuries. Wangchuk was later transferred to Jodhpur Jail in Rajasthan. This is not the first instance of deepfake content targeting officials in Ladakh.

–IANS

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