A video circulating online as evidence of a firefight between Indian and Chinese troops in Arunachal Pradesh actually shows an unrelated military exercise in Kazakhstan, Agence France-Presse reported on 29 October 2026. The clip had been viewed more than 1.4 million times on Instagram after being posted with claims that the two sides had exchanged fire in a disputed part of the Line of Actual Control (LAC).
The video shows soldiers moving through a mountainous area, with one apparently carrying an injured member of the group. Text superimposed on the footage repeats the claim that India and China had engaged in “fire exchanges” because of continuing face-offs in Arunachal Pradesh. Similar versions appeared on Instagram and X after remarks by Shatrujeet Kapur, chief of the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), on 23 October 2026.
“BREAKING: China and India have fire exchanges in a disputed territory of Arunachal Pradesh due to ongoing face-offs and a standoff in Arunachal Pradesh (eastern sector of the Line of Actual Control/LAC)”
The caption was published by an Instagram account, according to AFP. The agency said a reverse-image search using frames from the footage located an earlier version posted on Instagram on 28 July 2026. AFP identified the material as footage of a military drill conducted by Kazakh forces, rather than an incident on the India-China border.
What has been officially reported about Arunachal
Kapur said Chinese troops continued to challenge India’s claims along parts of Arunachal Pradesh, according to AFP. The report described the remarks as referring to continuing face-offs in the disputed Himalayan region. That statement does not establish that the armies exchanged fire, and the video does not provide evidence of such an incident.
India’s Ministry of External Affairs said the two countries remained in regular contact to manage tensions after Kapur’s comments. The ministry’s spokesperson said:
“both sides continue to use existing diplomatic and military mechanisms to resolve outstanding issues and avoid misunderstanding and miscalculation”
China claims Arunachal Pradesh as part of southern Tibet, while India maintains that the state is an integral part of its territory. AFP reported that the region is patrolled by tens of thousands of troops. Against that background, footage falsely presented as a fresh clash can add to confusion around an already sensitive border situation.
How the false claim spread
- The video was posted with an English caption alleging firing between India and China in Arunachal Pradesh.
- AFP traced an earlier version to an Instagram post dated 28 July 2026.
- The footage was identified as a Kazakhstan military exercise, not a border incident.
The video also appeared on X and other social-media platforms with similar descriptions after the ITBP chief’s remarks. AFP’s findings separate the verified official statements about continuing border face-offs from the unverified claim that the footage showed an exchange of fire. For readers following developments along the LAC, the distinction is significant: the existence of reported face-offs and diplomatic efforts to manage tensions does not authenticate unrelated combat footage.
