‘Coordinated Inauthentic Behaviour Exposed’: Army Fact-Checks Claims of Chinese Vehicles’ Unauthorised Entry into India

New Delhi: The Indian Army’s official fact-check handle has debunked a circulating video that falsely depicts Chinese commercial vehicles as evidence of an unauthorised military intrusion into Indian territory near the India-China border.

In a post on X, Indian Army Fact Check (@MythbusterXX) described the episode as “Coordinated Inauthentic Behaviour Exposed.” Social media accounts shared the clip with captions claiming Chinese vehicles had entered Indian territory without authorisation and that mainstream media was deliberately suppressing the incident.

The Army clarified that the original footage shows JAC-branded Chinese commercial vehicles at Nathu La Pass in Sikkim, a designated India-China border trade point.

“The movement of commercial vehicles at an authorised border trade route is being misrepresented as evidence of a Chinese military intrusion. Trade at Nathu La operates under established bilateral agreements, designated trading facilities and regulated procedures,” the post stated.

It identified a clear disinformation pattern: Chinese commercial vehicles + omission of the authorised border trade context + a false narrative of unauthorised entry + coordinated posting = a misleading India-China border security narrative.

The Army listed 12 social media handles that circulated the same content between 0826 hrs and 1256 hrs on 26 October 2026 and urged users to verify location, original footage and official context before sharing.

The fact-check follows another recent intervention by the same handle. On 25 October, it flagged a deepfake video that attributed fabricated remarks to Lt Gen Girish Kalia. The altered clip claimed China had taken control of Asaphila, Longjou and Taksing Circle in Arunachal Pradesh and that the Indian Army was being denied essential supplies.

The Army explained that the video used synthetic-generated information to overlay false statements onto archival footage. The original material came from a press briefing delivered by then-Maj Gen Girish Kalia, GOC 28 Infantry Division, in Kupwara, Jammu & Kashmir, on 27 October 2023. In that briefing he reported on foiled infiltration attempts across the Line of Control, the elimination of 27 terrorists and recovery of warlike stores and narcotics. He made no reference to Chinese control in Arunachal Pradesh or any denial of supplies.

The Army summarised the deepfake’s formula as: old military briefing + digitally manipulated remarks + false attribution + fabricated territorial claims = misleading military disinformation. It directed the public to the original ANI footage and advised verification of source material before amplifying such videos.

Both interventions highlight the Army’s ongoing effort to counter coordinated attempts to distort the security situation along the northern borders through selective presentation of routine commercial activity and digitally manipulated archival material.