Fact Check: Did India Army Chief Admit 250 Soldiers Were Martyred In Recent Conflict With Pakistan?

A video purportedly showing General Upendra Dwivedi, Chief of the Army Staff (COAS), admitting that 250 Indian soldiers were martyred along the LOC during the recent conflict with Pakistan has surfaced on social media platforms.

Newschecker investigated the viral footage, and found it to be manipulated.

In the viral footage, spanning over two minutes, General Dwivedi is allegedly heard saying, “The Indian Army suffered heavy losses along the LOC, with 250 soldiers martyred. Our asset movements were  also being closely monitored by the Pakistani and Chinese satellites.”  

Such posts can be seen here, here and here.

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Fact Check/Verification

A keyword search for “General Upendra Dwivedi,” “250 soldiers” and “Pakistan” on Google did not yield any credible reports/release on the alleged admission of loss by the Army Chief. 

We noticed the watermark of news outlet ‘The Indian Express’ on the top right corner of the viral footage.

Taking clue, we looked up keywords “The Indian Express,” “Army Chief” and “Operation Sindoor” on YouTube which led us to a video report, dated July 26, 2025, showing General Upendra Dwivedi in the same background as seen in the viral clip. 

“On Kargil Vijay Diwas 2025, Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi delivered a strong message to Pakistan, stating that Operation Sindoor’s surgical strikes were a clear warning that terrorism and its backers will not be spared. Speaking at the Kargil War Memorial, Gen Dwivedi called the strikes a direct response to the Pahalgam terror attack, which he described as a deep national wound…,” its description stated.

Around 1:13 minutes into the video, the COAS can be heard saying, “In 1999, the India Army achieved an unparalleled victory on the heights of Kargil under Operation Vijay. During the war, the Indian Army chased away the Pakistani soldiers and intruders occupying the high peaks, drove them out of the border, and hoisted the tricolour on these snow-covered peaks…India made it clear that no immoral intent would successful within its limit. India’s unity and integrity will not be compromised.”

 “Taking that tradition forward, during Operation Sindoor, the Indian Army, with the same courage and determination, targeted the Pakistan-backed terrorist infrastructure and thwarted other aggressive activities of Pakistan, achieving a decisive victory. We gave peace a chance but in its response, they (Pakistan) showed cowardliness…Operation Sindoor was our resolve, message and response. The cowardly terror attack in Pahalgam was a wound for the entire nation. India did not only express grief this time, but decided that the response will be decisive…”

This portion of his speech did not carry any details on the casualties in the conflict, as seen in the viral clip, indicating that the footage could be manipulated. 

General Dwivedi’s address on the 2025 Kargil Vijay Diwas was live streamed on the YouTube channel of The Hindu on July 26, 2025. The above mentioned segment can be seen at the counters of 3:55 minutes in the video.

This live stream too did not show him conceding to the death of 250 soldiers, thereby confirming that the fabricated remark was interspersed in the Army Chief’s speech to make the false claim.

A release by the Ministry of Defence on the 26th anniversary of Kargil Vijay Diwas carried highlights from General Dwivedi’s address, stating that he “paid a heartfelt tribute to the fallen soldiers of the Kargil War, lauding their unwavering courage and sacrifice. He reflected on the Indian Army’s historic victory in 1999 and its resolute defence of national sovereignty during recent Operation Sindoor…”

The release, too, did not mention anything about the alleged admission of casualties by the Army Chief. 

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Analysing Viral Clip: Discrepancies Detected

On carefully analysing the viral video, we spotted a noticeable change in the audio from segment 0:55- 1:09 minutes, where the alleged remark of “250 soldiers” is heard. Additionally, his lip movements in this section appeared to be slightly unnatural.

Further, while his rimless spectacle frame is slightly visible in video by The Indian Express, the same is completely seen merging into his face in the viral footage. 

We ran the audio snippet making the viral claim on multiple AI detection tools most of which did not yield any conclusive results. However, Resemble.ai, an AI audio detection tool, termed the voice as “fake.”

Newschecker also checked the segment of the viral video, where the Army Chief allegedly makes the claim, on Deepware, which detected the presence of “deepfake” in the footage. 

No Such Statement By The COAS: PIB

The government’s PIB Fact Check also flagged the viral “manipulated video being shared online, falsely showing Indian Army Chief Upendra Dwivedi admitting to losing more than 250 soldiers in the war against Pakistan.” Terming it as “Ai generated deepfake,” PIB confirmed, “General Upendra Dwivedi has made NO such statement.” 

Sources
YouTube Video By The Indian Express, Dated July 26, 2025
YouTube Video By The Hindu, Dated July 26, 2025
Release By Ministry of Defence, Dated July 26, 2025
X Post By PIB Fact Check, Dated July 29, 2025
Resemble.ai Website
Deepware Website