A clipped version of a mock drill in Uttarakhand conducted as part of a 2016 joint exercise between the Indian and US Army is being shared a false claim that it shows ongoing military operations in Jammu and Kashmir. The video is being shared in light of the sudden government decision to abrogate Article 370 and thereby revoke special status granted to the state.
The viral 57-second clip has the logo of Doordarshan (DD) news and a reporter explaining how security forces are searching homes for potential terrorists and engaging with terrorists.
WhatsApp message BOOM received the video on its WhatsApp helpline number (7700906111) asking us to verify if it was true.
The video is viral on Facebook with the caption 'Live Action in Kashmir'.
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BOOM searched with the keywords 'Jammu and Kashmir drill dd news' on YouTube and found a longer video with scenes matching the viral video. The video was uploaded on the official YouTube channel of DD News on October 26, 2016.
The original YouTube video is titled, 'Know how Indian Army carries out search operations in Kashmir valley (Hindi)'.
The video description details, "Do you know how our security forces carry out Cordon and Search Operations in the valley in Jand K? How do our forces proceed when they receive an input that terrorists are hiding in a house in a village? Our Correspondent Nandita Dagar explains."
YouTube description The original video is 2.02 minutes which has been clipped to 57 seconds to leave out the part where the anchor informs the viewer that the DD news correspondent Nandita Dagar reports on how security forces carry out cordon and search operations in Jammu and Kashmir.
We searched on Google for military operations conducted during October 2016 and found a India Today article on India-US Yudh Abhyas - a joint military exercise held at Ranikhet in Uttarakhand.
India Today article The focus of the Yudh Abhyas-2016 was dealing with the challenges of terrorism and began on September 14, 2016 and ended on September 27, 2016.
It was the 12th edition of the Yudh Abhyas which began in 2004 and approximately 225 US soldiers and about the same number of Indian troops took part in the exercise.
Dinakar Peri, defence correspondent for The Hindu also tweeted photos from the joint exercise. The fourth image in the tweet matches the house number 3 visible at the counter 50-seconds in the viral video and at 1.15 in the DD News video.
BOOM also found a tweet from September 26, 2016 by the Press Information Bureau of India about Yudh Abhyas.
In a sudden move, Home Minister Amit Shah announced that Article 370 will be repealed and passed a bill bifurcating J&K into two Union Territories of Ladakh and Jammu and Kashmir.
Also Read: Article 370 Scrapped, Jammu and Kashmir To Be Bifurcated: What We Know
Also Read: No, This Is Not A Photo Of Pakistani Soldiers Signalling A Truce
