March was characterised by a torrent of misinformation, as military tensions between India and Pakistan rose in the early part of the month. From social media to mainstream media and messaging platforms, propaganda warfare was at its peak, seeking to sway public opinion. Avi Dandiya, a social media user who has a significant following on Facebook, posted an ‘audio clip’ on March 1. He claimed that the audio clip was a conversation between BJP president Amit Shah and Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh, and the conversation purportedly was about killing Indian soldiers. Dandiya claimed that this audio clip was evidence that the Pulwama terror attack of February was an inside job. Alt News, however, found that the audio clip presented by Dandiya was completely bogus and manufactured by lifting different portions of old interviews given by BJP leaders. Parts of these interviews were conjoined to make it seems that Rajnath Singh and Amit Shah were discussing a ploy to kill Indian soldiers. Dandiya had later posted another manufactured audio clip, according to which the BJP had supposedly plotted to hack EVMs. A Twitter user Shekhar Chahal shared a WhatsApp chat with an alleged Pakistani, who is a resident of Balakot, to claim that the Indian air force’s recent air strike killed 292 terrorists of JeM. Chahal is followed by prime minister Narendra Modi on Twitter. The entire conversation is fake. Firstly, Alt News found that there is no ‘Balakot Medical University’ in the first place. Moreover, the urdu used in the chat was highly erroneous. Alt News’ fact check can be read here. A set of images doing rounds on social media was shared with claims that it depicts the impact of Indian Air Force’s airstrike in Pakistan. The photographs show mass graves and shrouded dead bodies. “बालाकोट हमले का सबूत सभी हरामी नेताओं को है ये ताकी तुम सभी ग़द्दार अपने मुह पर चपल मार कर चुप रहे और सेना का माजक न उड़ाऐ |जय हिंद की सेना! (This proof of Balakot attack is for the ha**** ministers so that you traitors hit your faces with slippers and keep your mouths shut instead of making fun of our forces.),” was the commonly used caption accompanying the photographs. Another caption that was used to share the images is – “यह है सबूत अच्छी तरह से चशमा लगा कर देख लिजियेगा जी। (This is the proof. See properly with spectacles on.)“ Alt News found that the photograph was clicked in Pakistan in 2015. A heatwave had claimed hundreds of lives that year. This photograph pertained to it. “बड़ी खबर हम आपको दिखा रहे है जी हम आपको सॅटॅलाइट इमेजे देखा रहे है। बालाकोट स्ट्राइक की। यह जवाब है उन लोगो को जो सबूत मांगते है। (We bring you big news. Yes, we are showing you the satellite images of Balakot air strike. This is an answer to those who demand evidence -translated) “, said the Zee News anchor presenting the satellite images of the alleged bombsite in Jaba, Balakot. According to the broadcast, the image on the left where the building had an intact rooftop was taken on February 23, 2018, whereas the image of same building on the right in which the rooftop was demolished was of February 26, 2018. Throughout the broadcast, it was claimed that these were the satellite images of the site bombed which now stands demolished after the air strike carried out by the Indian Air Force. Alt News fact-checked the Zee News broadcast and found that the channel had used old, unrelated images to claim that the IAF airstrike at Balakot had destroyed the terror camp of the JeM. The article can be accessed here. On March 5, the Hindi publication Amar Ujala published a report titled, “बालाकोट: मदरसा छात्र ने बताया- रात को हुआ था जबरदस्त धमाका, पाकिस्तानी सेना ने हमें बचाया (Balakot: A Madrasa student told that – A tremendous explosion had happened at night, Pakistani army evacuated us -translated)”. The article also carried a photo with a target symbol on a building, while the text below the photo said, “वायुसेना का टारगेट (Air Force’s target)”. The image attached to the Amar Ujala’s article pertains to an U.S air strike aimed at ISIS targets in September 2014. A report published by Daily Mail on October 4, 2014 stated, “The targets of the strikes were fighters from the Khorasan Group, which is how the U.S. government refers to a cell of al Qaeda veterans who had relocated to Syria from the Afghanistan-Pakistan border region”. “Pakistan admits that 200 terrorists were killed.”; “Bodies of slain terrorists were shifted after IAF airstrike.”; “IAF Balakot airstrike proof.” “US-based Gilgit activist shares video.” – were the leading headlines on March 13 across Indian mainstream media outlets.