BLACK mobile logo

international

Fake visuals, defamed civilians, and fabricated wars: How Indian mainstream media failed during operation Sindoor

June 24, 2026

In May 2025, following a terrorist attack in Kashmir that killed 26 tourists, Indian news channels engaged in systematic misinformation while covering the military response known as Operation Sindoor. Multiple major broadcasters falsely identified a civilian religious teacher killed by Pakistani shelling as a terrorist commander, leading to court orders for criminal investigation and defamation lawsuits seeking $528,500 in damages. Channels including Aaj Tak repeatedly aired footage from unrelated conflicts, including Israeli strikes on Gaza and four-year-old Iron Dome videos, falsely presenting them as live coverage of Indian military operations.

Who is affected

  • Maulana Qari Mohammad Iqbal (deceased civilian religious teacher falsely labeled as terrorist) and his family members including brother-in-law Ishaq Khayan and nephew Tariq Manzoor
  • The local religious community in Poonch, Jammu and Kashmir
  • Twelve civilians killed by Pakistani artillery fire on May 7, 2025
  • 26 tourists killed in the initial Pahalgam terrorist attack
  • The Indian public who received fabricated war coverage
  • News channels facing legal action: News18 MP Chhattisgarh, Zee News, Aaj Tak, Republic World, NDTV, ABP News, Times Now Navbharat, Times Now, and India TV
  • International observers potentially misled by false combat footage

What action is being taken

  • Citizens for Justice and Peace (CJP) has filed formal complaints with the News Broadcasting & Digital Standards Authority (NBDSA) against multiple channels
  • Iqbal's family, represented by advocate Sheikh Mohammad Saleem, has filed defamation lawsuits seeking INR 50 million in damages
  • Jammu and Kashmir Police has been directed by court order to register a First Information Report (FIR) against News18, Zee News, and unspecified editorial staff under the Indian Justice Code and Information Technology Act
  • Local residents are staging protests over the false accusations against Iqbal

Why it matters

  • This represents a systemic failure of journalistic integrity during a national security crisis that had serious real-world consequences. The misinformation campaign defamed an innocent deceased civilian and his community, potentially inflamed religious tensions during heightened Indo-Pakistani hostilities, and risked misleading international observers about active military operations. According to The Washington Post, the fabricated coverage embarrassed India on the global stage, with one Indian security official acknowledging the misinformation was a deliberate war tactic that backfired. The court's landmark judgment establishes that press freedom does not permit defamatory or misleading material that causes serious harm, setting a legal precedent for accountability in conflict reporting.

What's next

  • The court has directed police to register criminal charges against News18, Zee News, and editorial staff under provisions related to public mischief, defamation, promoting religious enmity, and violations of the Information Technology Act. The family's defamation lawsuit seeking INR 50 million (USD 528,500) in damages is proceeding through the courts. The NBDSA complaints filed by Citizens for Justice and Peace against six channels are under review for violations of broadcasting standards.

Read full article from source: Global Voices