While Indian citizens across the country are celebrating the decisive retaliation by the Indian Armed Forces against terrorists on foreign soil and praying for the safe return of our brave soldiers, a contrasting narrative is being pushed by certain Dravidianists and Dravidianist media outlets in Tamil Nadu. Instead of acknowledging the valor of the armed forces or supporting the government’s firm ‘zero tolerance toward terrorism’ policy, these groups seem more focused on amplifying narratives that echo Pakistan’s claims.
These Dravidianist voices confidently assert that Pakistan has shot down two Indian aircraft, citing biased international media sources. Even some Tamil news channels echoed these claims without scrutiny, despite the fact that the headlines of Intranational media themselves only said, “Pakistan claims to have shot down Indian aircraft.” It’s telling that these individuals, who refuse to take pride in the actions of the Indian military, are now being strongly criticized and called out on social media for parroting a foreign adversary’s propaganda.
For instance, Reuters ran the headline: “India strikes Pakistan over tourist killings, Pakistan says Indian jets downed,” acknowledging the Indian side’s offensive while noting that Pakistan’s claims were unverified. The article quoted a statement from Pakistan’s Prime Minister’s Office claiming five Indian jets and drones had been shot down—an assertion India has not confirmed. Local officials in Jammu and Kashmir told Reuters that three jets had reportedly crashed in different locations during the night, with the pilots hospitalized. However, India’s Defence Ministry did not issue an immediate response. Photographs circulating in the local press showed debris believed to be from a downed aircraft, including a large metal fragment, though Reuters stated it could not independently verify the images.
Despite the lack of official confirmation, this led to widespread speculation and the spread of misinformation suggesting that Pakistan had successfully downed multiple Indian aircraft—a narrative that gained traction across several media platforms.
According to the Indian Defence Research Wing, on the morning of 7 May 2025, a jet went down near the Wayun area of Pampore in Pulwama district, close to the Line of Control. This incident occurred shortly after India’s Operation Sindoor, which involved targeted airstrikes on terrorist camps in Muzaffarabad, Kotli, and Bhimber within Pakistani territory. Neither nation has taken responsibility for the jet crash, leaving its origin unconfirmed.
The Indian military has not released any official statement confirming this. Additionally, footage shared online shows India’s Akash missile system actively engaging a target, leading to speculation that the system may have brought down the aircraft. The Akash system, developed by DRDO, is capable of targeting jets and drones within a 45-kilometer range and is deployed extensively along the LoC. It demonstrated its capabilities in the 2023 Astrashakti exercise by intercepting multiple aerial threats simultaneously. Unverified reports also mention two more crashes—one in Akhnoor and another in Ramban—which align with Pakistan’s unconfirmed claim of downing three Indian jets.
Dravidianists Echoing Pakistani Narrative
Despite the lack of verified facts, certain Dravidian-leaning individuals have been quick to celebrate and amplify Pakistan’s narrative within India. One such voice, Dr. Adina Pricilia, posted the following claim online, “The Pakistani army has shot down two Indian aircraft. The first aircraft is a Su-30, acquired from Russia. A Pakistani pilot shot down the aircraft with an air-to-air missile, and it crashed in the Akhanur area. There is no information about the Indian pilot. However, when the Indian pilots saw the burning engine of the aircraft, they speculated that it could be a MiG-29 or a JF-17 engine. As a result, there is suspicion that the aircraft that crashed was an SU-30. The second aircraft was hit by Pakistan’s air defense weapon, the HQ-9 HIMADS, which is a surface-to-air missile. This aircraft fell in the Uyan area of Jammu and Kashmir. Since both aircraft fell inside Indian territory, experts believe that the missiles may have followed the Indian aircraft when they entered and attacked Pakistani territory before exiting.”
While Dravidianists are shameless continue to echo anti-national sentiments, what’s even more revealing is the stance taken by certain Congress leaders in the state. One such example is Tamil Nadu Congress functionary Dhivya Marunthiah, who posted controversial remarks on social media in the wake of India’s retaliatory airstrikes against terrorist camps. She appeared to downplay the Indian’s commitment to “Zero tolerance towards terrorism,” framing it as a political move by Prime Minister Narendra Modi rather than a national response to terrorism. In a post wrote, “So it’s not the Indian Army, it’s Narendra Modi.”
So It’s not Indian Army, it’s Narendra Modi. https://t.co/Vh9gSnaEmS
— Dhivya Marunthiah (@DhivCM) May 7, 2025
Dhivya also accused the Indian government of acting out of religious bias in its response to the attack—even though the terrorists in question had specifically targeted and killed 26 Hindu tourists in Pahalgam, reportedly asking them to recite Islamic prayers before executing them. Despite the Indian military carrying out a targeted and precise strike against terrorist infrastructure, she framed the response as communal.
In her words, “#OperationSindoor ? Terrorist attacks carried out by religious extremists are a grave threat to all humanity. But if a government, sworn to uphold a secular constitution and protect 1.46 billion people of diverse faiths, chooses to retaliate in the name of religion, it risks tearing apart the very fabric of our democracy. Retaliatory violence in the name of religion will not bring peace, it will only escalate fear, deepen divides, and perpetuate a cycle of conflict. What we are witnessing is not just a response to terrorism. It is a calculated political move by the BJP to manipulate grief, anger and religious identity for electoral gain. Playing politics with human lives is not only unethical, it is Un-Indian. We, the people of India, Hindus, Muslims, Christians, Sikhs and others stand united in our belief. We don’t want war. We demand conflict resolution. We seek justice rooted in truth, not vengeance. We want peace, not polarization. Let us not allow the politics of fear and hate to define our future. #EndWar #NotInOurName”
#OperationSindoor ? Terrorist attacks carried out by religious extremists are a grave threat to all humanity. But if a government, sworn to uphold a secular constitution and protect 1.46 billion people of diverse faiths, chooses to retaliate in the name of religion, it risks… pic.twitter.com/ugc9Fa39An
— Dhivya Marunthiah (@DhivCM) May 7, 2025
Her posts have drawn criticism for equating India’s defensive military response to terrorism with religious or political extremism, despite the targeted and limited nature of the operation. Many have pointed out the hypocrisy of accusing the Indian state of communalism while ignoring the religiously motivated nature of the original terrorist attack.
But if you look closely, all media reports clearly frame it as Pakistan’s claim—not confirmed fact.
Yet, these Dravidianist voices accept and promote it as truth, comfortably sitting behind their screens while pushing anti-Indian and socially divisive narratives.
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