New Delhi: India initially blocked several accounts on X, previously known as Twitter, affiliated with Chinese and Turkish state-run media outlets, accusing them of spreading misinformation that undermines national interests.
While the accounts of Global Times and TRT World have since been restored, the handle of Xinhua News Agency remains blocked at the time of reporting.
The affected accounts include China’s Global Times and Xinhua News Agency, as well as Turkey’s TRT World, all of which are funded or operated by their respective governments.
The move follows a sharp diplomatic warning from the Indian Embassy in Beijing, which directly called out Global Times for publishing misleading information on 7 May related to Operation Sindoor, the retaliatory military action taken after the deadly Pahalgam attack.
In a thread of posts on X, the embassy said: “Dear @globaltimesnews, we would recommend you verify your facts and cross-examine your sources before pushing out this kind of dis-information.”
The embassy further stated that several pro-Pakistan social media accounts had been circulating unfounded claims about Indian military casualties, and urged media outlets to exercise responsibility in reporting. “When media outlets share such information without verifying sources, it reflects a serious lapse in responsibility and journalistic ethics,” it said.
“@PIBFactCheckhad brought to light instances of fake news with old images showing crashed aircrafts being re-circulated in various forms in the current context of #OperationSindoor. While one is from an earlier incident involving an Indian Air Force (IAF) MiG-29 fighter jet that crashed in Rajasthan in September 2024, the other is an IAF MiG-21 fighter jet from Punjab in 2021,” the thread added.
(1/n) Dear @globaltimesnews , we would recommend you verify your facts and cross-examine your sources before pushing out this kind of dis-information. https://t.co/xMvN6hmrhe
— India in China (@EOIBeijing) May 7, 2025
Global Times’ X handle displayed a message reading “Account Withheld,” indicating a legal action initiated in India. However, the account was later restored, but the brief restriction reflected India’s growing intolerance toward foreign state-linked narratives that could be viewed as hostile or false.
However, it should be noted that the Press Information Bureau (PIB) has been actively debunking viral misinformation tied to Operation Sindoor. Its fact-check unit flagged one widely shared image claiming an Indian Rafale jet was downed as fake, clarifying it was an old photo from a 2021 MiG-21 crash in Punjab’s Moga.
In a parallel development, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) issued a strong statement denouncing China’s latest attempt to rename locations in Arunachal Pradesh, a state Beijing continues to claim despite India’s firm opposition. MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said: “We reject such attempts categorically. Creative naming will not alter the undeniable reality that Arunachal Pradesh was, is, and will always remain an integral and inalienable part of India.”
China had earlier released a new list of renamed locations in Arunachal Pradesh, a move India dismissed as baseless and provocative.
APAC Media previously reported that the microblogging platform was allegedly asked to block over 8,000 accounts following government orders amid heightened tensions after Operation Sindoor.
X’s Global Government Affairs account, which initially criticised the move as “unnecessary censorship”, was briefly withheld in India and later restored, with the post deleted.
Elon Musk’s X initially stated that many blocking orders lacked specific legal justification but said it is complying to maintain platform access while advising affected users to seek legal recourse.
The move follows a surge in misinformation related to cross-border conflict between India and Pakistan that flooded the social media platform and increased tension among the netizens.
However, the recent incidents have highlighted a major issue in this digital age—the concerns are not limited to only territorial disputes and physical battle grounds, but also over the spread of misinformation.
