Claim that students set Army vehicles and police stations ablaze in Arunachal’s Upper Subansiri is false
Claim that students set Army vehicles and police stations ablaze in Arunachal’s Upper Subansiri is false
Executive Summaryसारांश
A Pakistan-linked handle claims students in “Indian-occupied” Arunachal Pradesh attacked an Indian Army vehicle and set two police stations, government offices and dozens of Army and police vehicles on fire. OFI Fact Check has rated the claim false. According to The New Indian Express, the anti-dam protest in Daporijo involved damage to police vehicles, a two-wheeler fire and vandalism of an NHPC office, with no Army vehicle attacked.A Pakistan-linked handle claims students in “Indian-occupied” Arunachal Pradesh attacked an Indian Army vehicle and set two police stations, government offices and dozens of Army and police vehicles on fire. OFI Fact Check has rated the claim false. According to The New Indian Express, the anti-dam protest in Daporijo involved damage to police vehicles, a two-wheeler fire and vandalism of an NHPC office, with no Army vehicle attacked.
Full Reportपूरी रिपोर्ट
On October 27, 2026, the X handle “Fahad” (@fahad4884_), which earlier spread the fake “Chinese soldiers searching Indian troops” claim, posted a clip of people surrounding a vehicle with a beacon light under the heading “Tensions escalate in Indian occupied Arunachal Pradesh”. It claimed that students in Upper Subansiri had attacked an Indian Army vehicle and that two police stations, government offices and dozens of Army and police vehicles had been torched. OFI Fact Check has rated the claim false. A New Indian Express report updated on October 26, 2026, said the incidents took place in Daporijo, headquarters of Upper Subansiri district, during a bandh linked to the anti-dam agitation. Supporters put up barricades and burnt tyres. At least one two-wheeler was set on fire, a constable was reportedly injured in an attack on a police vehicle, another police vehicle was damaged, and an office linked to the National Hydroelectric Power Corporation (NHPC) was vandalised. The vehicle in the viral clip is a police vehicle, not an Army one. There are no reports of police stations or dozens of vehicles being burnt. Exaggerating local protests over hydropower projects and calling Arunachal “Indian-occupied” is part of the ongoing propaganda wave about the state, so such claims should be checked against credible news reports.
On October 27, 2026, the X handle “Fahad” (@fahad4884_), which earlier spread the fake “Chinese soldiers searching Indian troops” claim, posted a clip of people surrounding a vehicle with a beacon light under the heading “Tensions escalate in Indian occupied Arunachal Pradesh”. It claimed that students in Upper Subansiri had attacked an Indian Army vehicle and that two police stations, government offices and dozens of Army and police vehicles had been torched. OFI Fact Check has rated the claim false. A New Indian Express report updated on October 26, 2026, said the incidents took place in Daporijo, headquarters of Upper Subansiri district, during a bandh linked to the anti-dam agitation. Supporters put up barricades and burnt tyres. At least one two-wheeler was set on fire, a constable was reportedly injured in an attack on a police vehicle, another police vehicle was damaged, and an office linked to the National Hydroelectric Power Corporation (NHPC) was vandalised. The vehicle in the viral clip is a police vehicle, not an Army one. There are no reports of police stations or dozens of vehicles being burnt. Exaggerating local protests over hydropower projects and calling Arunachal “Indian-occupied” is part of the ongoing propaganda wave about the state, so such claims should be checked against credible news reports.