Fact Check: Army chief Upendra Dwivedi admits to losing 250 Indian soldiers during Operation Sindoor? No, video is digitally manipulated

Hyderabad: On Kargil Vijay Diwas, July 26, Army Chief Gen Upendra Dwivedi warned Pakistan, stating that Operation Sindoor’s surgical strikes were a direct and decisive response to the Pahalgam terror attack. Speaking at the Kargil War Memorial, he said India has moved from mourning to retaliation. The strikes signal a ‘new normal’ of zero tolerance towards terrorism in India’s security doctrine.

Now, a clip from this speech has been making the rounds on social media, claiming that Dwivedi reportedly admitted that India lost 250 soldiers in the war with Pakistan. The reference to war comes from the recent Operation Sindoor and the skirmishes that followed.

In the viral video, General Dwivedi is heard saying in Hindi, the English translation of which can be read as, “The Indian Army achieved a historic victory on the heights of Kargil under Operation Vijay. In that war, our forces drove out Pakistani soldiers and infiltrators occupying strategic high-altitude positions and hoisted the tricolour on the snow-clad peaks. That moment sent a clear message: any nefarious activity within India’s borders would not succeed, and the nation’s unity and integrity would remain unshaken.

Taking forward this legacy, during Operation Sindoor, the Indian Army, displaying the same indomitable courage and resolve, struck Pakistan-backed terrorist infrastructure and foiled other aggressive actions by Pakistan, achieving a decisive victory. We suffered heavy losses on the Line of Control, with around 250 soldiers martyred. Our every move was under close surveillance by Pakistani and Chinese satellites. Despite giving a chance for peace, their cowardly actions compelled us to respond with strength.

Operation Sindoor was both a determined response and a firm message following the cowardly terror attack in Pahalgam, which struck a deep blow to the entire nation. This time, India didn’t stop at mourning—we vowed a decisive reply. With the unwavering trust of our citizens and the strategic freedom granted by the government, the Indian Army carried out a precise and well-planned strike. On the night of May 6–7, Indian forces hit nine high-value terrorist targets in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir, without harming any innocent civilians.

This was not just retaliation—it was a clear message: those who support terrorism will not be spared.”

Sharing the video, an X user wrote, “Indian Army Chief Upendra Dwivedi admits to losing over 250 soldiers in conflict with Pakistan. Claims Pakistan tracked movements via Chinese satellites.”

Similar claims can be found here and here.

Fact Check

NewsMeter found that the claim is false, as the viral video has been digitally manipulated by inserting external audio.

Upon careful analysis of the video’s audio, we identified two distinct voices. The segment stating, ‘We suffered heavy losses on the Line of Control, with around 250 soldiers martyred. Our every move was under close surveillance by Pakistani and Chinese satellites,’ clearly does not match the voice heard in the segments at the beginning and end of the video.

We also noticed the logo of The Indian Express in the viral video. Taking this cue, we ran a keyword search and found a video published by the media outlet on July 26, titled “‘New Normal, No Mercy’: Indian Army Chief Warns Pakistan After Op Sindoor | Kargil Vijay Diwas |”

The viral clip appears in the video between the 1:15 and 3:08 timestamps. During this duration, we verified that General Dwivedi said everything as heard in the video, except for the line, ‘We suffered heavy losses on the Line of Control, with around 250 soldiers martyred. Our every move was under close surveillance by Pakistani and Chinese satellites.’ This confirmed that the video has been digitally altered by mischievous actors who inserted external audio.

We also found a comparison collage of the altered and original clips shared by the PIB Fact Check X handle on July 29. The post clarified that Chief of the Army Staff General Upendra Dwivedi made no such statement, confirming that the video had been manipulated.

Therefore, we conclude that the viral clip was altered; the claim that General Dwivedi admitted that India lost 250 soldiers in the war with Pakistan is false.