India is facing one of the biggest health crisis and misinformation, online trolling and peddling of false narratives of situations is an inconvenient nuisance. Adding to the pile, a Twitter account posing to be IAF squadron leader has come to the fore.
The claim
One IAF Squadron Leader Vishal Randhawa looks like any ordinary account belonging to an individual. The account has been retweeting posts from IAF, DRDO, ITBP and other posts concerning government affairs. But amidst all that, there are some controversial posts, which appear to be spewing hatred like triggering debate by calling JNU activist Umar Khalid "a virus."
The said Twitter account also appeared deeply invested in BAMS exam, furthering some students' request to postpone the offline examinations. The account was created in January 2019 and has 400 followers.
Fact check
International Business Times reviewed the contents of the said Twitter account. Some of the content posted by the account are questionable, and the person's association with IAF adds some sense of credibility to the name. But when the account came under IAF's radar, the force was quick to distance itself and expose the imposter.
The Press Information Bureau (PIB) issued a statement on Monday, clarifying that IAF has or had no air warrior by the name of Sqn Ldr Vishal Randhawa in the Indian Air Force. In addition, IAF said it disassociates itself from the views expressed by the Twitter account.
Furthermore, the account doesn't have any unique identifiers, such as photos, and followers from the same unit. All of the accounts following the said Twitter account are unverified and have no association with IAF.
Based on PIB's statement and red flags, IBTimes has arrived at the conclusion that the Twitter account Sqn Ldr Vishal Randhawa is an imposter with no ties to IAF.
