In a lighthearted moment during strained India-Pakistan relations, top IPS officer Arun Bothra came out in solidarity with thousands online to mock posts by Pakistani Twitter users who eerily celebrated the demolition of the ‘Bangalore Port’ when Bengaluru is a landlocked city.
A viral Facebook post by a Pakistani user, Faward Ur Rehman, read, “Bangalore Port destroyed by Pakistan Navy.” The post gained traction very soon across Indian social media, not because of its effect but because of its obvious geographical fallacy. Bengaluru, the capital city of Karnataka, is more than 300 kilometres from the nearest coast and lacks a seaport.
Responding to the post, Arun Bothra humorously quipped, ‘Bangalore has only USB ports’, eliciting a tide of laughter and the same facetious responses.
Bangalore has only USB ports ? pic.twitter.com/7A5wIIb4qw
— Arun Bothra ?? (@arunbothra) May 10, 2025
Picking up, IAS officer Awanish Sharan quoted another publicly ridiculed lie in another viral image, which strangely announced the destruction of the “Patna sea port.” Patna is also an inland city, in the Indian state of Bihar.
Indians reacted in jest and mockery as ridiculous reports emerged on social media. Satirical trolling of virtual ports of fantasy cities not located near an ocean served to not only create humorous relief but also to become a means by which the danger posed by uncensored disinformation during war had to be countered.
Here are some hilarious reactions:
It’s true I heard the explosions as I was drinking my morning coffee at Manyata beach
they have also targeted marathahalli shipyard and Silk Board harbour pic.twitter.com/hySsZHA87D
— Abhi (@_Avykt) May 10, 2025
Guyz, I am at the Bangalore Sea Port. Pray for my safety ? pic.twitter.com/Sp0kbLu8Sa
— Preetam Rao (@Preetam_M_Rao) May 10, 2025
Fake News Floods Social Media
The rare online conversation took place amidst heightened tensions between India and Pakistan, with the two countries unleashing intense missile and drone attacks over a series of days before both sides signed a ceasefire deal on Saturday. But even subsequent to the ceasefire, regions such as Jammu and Kashmir had late-night explosions and drone traffic, prompting Indian security forces to activate air defense systems.
Amid the crisis, false information went viral on social media. The Indian government’s Press Information Bureau (PIB) Fact Check team warned and debunked many misleading updates, including altered images and video game clips faked as live conflict videos.
In a recent warning, PIB Fact Check advised users: “Several gaming combat videos are being falsely circulated as real recent India-Pakistan conflict footages. Please avoid falling victim to such propaganda messages.”
