Indian Female Fighter Pilot Squadron Leader Shivangi Singh Disproves Pakistani Capture Claims with Presidential Appearance

President Murmu poses with Squadron Leader Shivangi Singh, whom Pakistan had falsely claimed to capture.

New Delhi:

Pakistani media falsely reported that Squadron Leader Shivangi Singh had been captured. These reports claimed she was a prisoner of war (PoW) after her fighter jet was allegedly shot down during Operation Sindoor. This information was completely untrue.

On Wednesday morning, the Varanasi-born Squadron Leader was photographed with President Droupadi Murmu at Haryana's Ambala Air Force base, displaying strength and confidence after giving the President a detailed tour of the advanced Rafale multi-role fighter aircraft. This appearance effectively disproved yet another piece of Pakistani propaganda.

The powerful image—showing Squadron Leader Singh in flight overalls standing proudly alongside the President with the Rafale aircraft in the background—symbolized India's military strength and exposed Pakistan's fabrications.

In May, following India's launch of Operation Sindoor (the military response to a terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam carried out by Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba that killed 26 people), Pakistan's propaganda machinery began making numerous false claims about military victories.

None of these assertions, particularly the claim that Pakistan had shot down six Indian military aircraft including one of India's newly acquired French-made Rafale jets, had any basis in reality.

The Indian military and government responded comprehensively, presenting substantial data and visual evidence confirming that Pakistan had not shot down any Indian aircraft. In fact, Pakistan itself lost six of its own planes.

Air Chief Marshal AP Singh stated that these losses included at least four US-made F-16s, China's JF-17 fighter jets, and likely an AEW&C (airborne early warning and control) aircraft, which he referred to as a 'big bird'.

Among Pakistan's false narratives was the claim that Squadron Leader Singh's aircraft had been disabled and she had been captured. This misinformation was widely circulated by numerous Pakistani social media accounts.

There were even fabricated videos purportedly showing the Air Chief Marshal visiting her "grief-stricken family."

India responded promptly to counter this disinformation. The government's fact-check division clearly stated: "Pro-Pakistan social media handles claimed an Indian female Air Force pilot, Squadron Leader Shivangi Singh, has been captured in Pakistan. This claim is fake!"

Further investigation revealed that the circulated videos were unrelated and actually showed the Air Chief Marshal visiting the family of Sergeant Surendra Kumar, who died serving India during Operation Sindoor.

The Indian Air Force confirmed that Singh—notable as the first female Indian fighter pilot to fly the Rafale, and reportedly mentored by Group Captain Abhinandan Varthaman (who was previously captured by Pakistan and returned as a hero)—was alive and actively "performing her operational duties."

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