Tejas Jet Was Not Cleared To Fly At Dubai Airshow? Viral ‘NDTV’ Report Is Doctored

A viral clip claiming NDTV revealed that the Tejas jet was flown without technical clearance has sparked fresh misinformation around the November 21, 2025 Dubai Airshow tragedy.

In the 32-second video, NDTV’s Abhishek Sengupta could be heard purportedly saying, “We are investigating the shocking reason behind the Tejas jet crash at the Dubai Air Show. A major revelation has emerged. An internal report claims the jet wasn’t cleared to fly, yet it took off. This begs the burning question. Who put the pressure from the top on the chain? Who is the powerful hand that forced this take-off, leading to this national embarrassment? Whether it is a pilot error or no pilot error, but this one thing that has emerged is very, very big.”

Newschecker found that the video was AI-manipulated, and no such report was ever published by NDTV.

Evidence

1. No NDTV Report Making This Claim

A keyword search found no NDTV article or broadcast suggesting that the Tejas jet involved in the Dubai Airshow crash lacked technical clearance.

However, we did find Abhishek Sengupta’s verified ground report, published on November 21, 2025, on NDTV World’s X handle.

At no point does he mention any internal report, lack of clearance, or political pressure.

2. Viral Clip Shows Clear Signs of AI Manipulation

A comparison of the viral video with NDTV’s original footage shows multiple red flags:

• Accent mismatch: Sengupta’s English accent sounds noticeably different from the original video.
• Unnatural lip-sync: The mouth movements do not align with the audio.
• Synthetic pacing: Speech rhythm is uneven, a common indicator of AI-generated voice cloning.

3. Deepfake Detection Tools Confirm Manipulation

Multiple forensic tools also flagged the clip as doctored:

• Hiya Deepfake Detector: Several audio portions marked as “likely deepfakes.”
• Resemble AI Detector: Audio classified as “fake.”
• Deepfake-o-Meter: 8 out of 12 classifiers indicated AI manipulation.
  

These results collectively confirm that the viral clip does not feature authentic NDTV reporting.

Also Read: Video Of Polish F-16 Accident Falsely Shared As Footage Of Tejas Jet Crash In Dubai

Verdict

The claim that NDTV reported that the Tejas jet was “not cleared to fly” before the Dubai Airshow crash is false. The viral video is doctored.

FAQs

1. Did NDTV report that the Tejas jet lacked flight clearance?
No. NDTV did not publish or broadcast any report suggesting the Tejas jet was not cleared to fly.

2. Is the viral video of NDTV’s Abhishek Sengupta genuine?
No. The clip is AI-manipulated, with doctored audio and mismatched lip movements.

3. What did NDTV actually report about the Tejas crash?
NDTV reported on-the-ground details of the crash, the pilot’s death, and the temporary suspension of flying operations, but nothing about flight clearance issues.

4. How do we know the viral clip is a deepfake?
Deepfake detection tools flagged the audio as synthetic, and visual inconsistencies show manipulation.

Sources
NDTV World X report by Abhishek Sengupta, November 21, 2025
Hiya Deepfake Detector
Resemble Deepfake Detector
Deepfake-o-Meter