Claim
Lieutenant General Zubin A. Minwala, Deputy Chief of Defense Staff (DCIDS), has reportedly said that the Indian Air Force will reduce the number of Sikh and Muslim officers by 50% after Operation Sindur and that the remaining officers “will retire soon”.
He is reported to have said:One mistake we made in Operation Sindur, and one thing we learned, is that we should not have Muslim or Sikh officers in our Air Force. Last time there were two aircraft, but now they are being arrested because the Pakistani side was not targeting its own aircraft. I am happy that Prime Minister Modi is changing the Sikh Air Chief Minister…that will be fixed in the future. We have cut 50% of our Sikh and Muslim staff and the rest will retire soon.”
Please also read: 2026 Kerala polls – National flag shown in viral video of UDF victory celebration is of IUML, not Pakistan
fact
There are no reliable reports to support this claim.
A keyword search using terms related to “Lieutenant General Zubin A Minwala,” “Sikh and Muslim officers,” and “Operation Sindur” yielded no credible reports or official statements suggesting that an army officer had made such a statement.
Original video traced
Keyframe analysis of the viral clip led us to the original live stream of a press conference held on the anniversary of Operation Sindoor, broadcast on DD News on May 7, 2026. However, a review of the live stream showed that the officers never made the joint statement heard in the viral clip.
The same broadcast shared on ANI’s official channel (a watermark can be seen on the viral clip) also had no such statement.
Signs of AI manipulation detected
Careful analysis of the viral clip revealed that Lt. Gen. Minwala’s mouth and facial movements appeared unnatural and slightly blurred in some segments, indicating that it was likely manipulated by AI.
Additionally, we analyzed the video with our AI detection tool Hive Moderation and concluded that the footage may contain AI-generated or deepfake content. Similarly, Hiya Deepfake Voice Detector also calls this voice a possible deepfake.
PIB fact check debunks video
The Press Information Bureau’s fact-checking unit also debunked the viral clip and clarified that Lt. Gen. Zubin A. Minwala did not make such statements.
Also read: Old video goes viral accusing Bharatiya Janata Party of inciting violence following West Bengal poll results
source of information
YouTube video by DD News, dated May 7, 2026
Hive Moderation Website
Hiya Deepfake Audio Detector
Posted by X PIB Fact Check on May 9, 2026
