Skip to main content

"Misleading" satellite images being shared on Balakot surgical strike on Jaish camp

By Dr Vinay Kate*
With every passing day more questions are being raised about the surgical strike India did in Balakot as a response to Pulwama attacks. So far the Indian media has claimed mass casulaty of 300+ terrorists of Jaish-e-Mohammad in this surgical strike, but there is hardly any report from foreign media about the same.
Now, two links for satellite images are being circulated in social media that shows alleged Jaish-e-Mohammad camp before and after surgical strike.
The links are as follows:
A Twitter handle named @IndianInterest has compared both these images and tried to portray the so-called damage to the alleged Jaish camp. But, if we compare both the satellite images side by side with a little bigger canvas covering adjacent areas of the alleged strike site, we can see some striking things as follows:
  • Label 1: This building has got vanished in thin air after the alleged strike at least a kilometer away from it. Surprising! isn't it?
  • Label 2: The red colored roof/shed in front of the labelled house has disappeared. Just like that?
  • Label 3: The roof of the building few kilometers away was painted with red color and Pakistani flag on it before strike, but it lost all its color in a single day.
  • Label 4: The fruit garden has been completely mowed down and the land is ploughed after the strikes.
  • Label 5: Few buildings that are seen in this cluster again a kilometer away from alleged strike site have lost their roof.
Are you wondering about how this happened? Actually, the link that is being shared as "post-strike" satellite image is actually older one; and link that is being shared as "pre-strike" image on Google maps (satellite mode) is the latest one. So there is no strike that has happened on this building, but the old images of this building during its construction time are being shown as a damaged site.
And this further gets validated when we zoom the image in link being shared as "post-strike". In this image we can clearly see the depots of sand and construction material in the vicinity of the building. The shadows of the pillars and window spaces are clearly seen and the roof is missing as it was yet to be constructed. Google Earth Pro also confirms this when we see the present and older images of this building.
In short, what we are being served in social media is a complete misleading information. We should not believe everything we see on social media.
---
*Source: Author's Facebook timeline 

Comments

Post a Comment

NOTE: Hateful, abusive comments won't be published. -- Editor

TRENDING

Neville Cardus: The man who turned cricket writing into poetry

By Harsh Thakor*  Neville Cardus was one of the most remarkable literary figures of the twentieth century. A prolific English writer and critic, he achieved distinction in two vastly different fields: cricket and classical music. Entirely self-taught, Cardus rose from humble beginnings to become both the cricket correspondent and chief music critic of The Manchester Guardian . His achievements in these contrasting disciplines earned him widespread acclaim and established him as one of the foremost critics of his generation. In February 2025, the cricketing and literary world marked the fiftieth anniversary of his death, which occurred in February 1975.
Post a Comment
»

​Ideological shifts and structural realities within India's left-wing insurgency

​By Harsh Thakor*  The Maoist insurgency in India is arguably at its weakest point since the formation of the Communist Party of India (Maoist) in 2004. Years of sustained counterinsurgency operations, leadership losses, shrinking territorial influence, declining recruitment, and growing technological advantages enjoyed by the state have significantly eroded the movement's operational capabilities. 
Post a Comment
»

The Dalit body on screen: Stereotypes, sacrifice, and subjugation in Hindi films

By Dr. Prem Singh*  Despite centuries of reformist efforts, from Gandhi and Ambedkar to contemporary activists, the caste system remains deeply embedded in the Indian psyche. One of the primary reasons for this persistence is the religious sanction provided by Brahminical scriptures, which have shaped not only social structures but also cultural and artistic expressions.
1 comment
»