Viral ‘Document’ Showing 163 IAF Pilots Resigned After 2025 India-Pakistan Conflict Is Doctored

Claim

An RTI document reveals that 163 Indian Air Force (IAF) pilots resigned from the force following the India-Pakistan conflict of May 2025.

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Fact

A keyword search on Google using terms such as “IAF pilots resigned after India-Pakistan conflict,” “IAF resignations May 2025,” and related phrases did not yield any credible news reports or official statements supporting the claim made in the viral image.

We then conducted a reverse image search of the alleged RTI document. This led us to an India Today report dated August 18, 2020, which stated, “In the last 10 years, 798 pilots of the Indian Air Force (IAF) have resigned and of them 289 pilots were given No-objection Certificates (NOC) to fly private airlines. This was revealed by the IAF in response to a Right to Information (RTI) application filed by India Today.” 

The report featured a photo of the RTI document that closely resembles the viral image. 

Upon comparison, we found that the viral image had been digitally edited to falsely suggest that 163 IAF pilots resigned after the India-Pakistan conflict of May 2025. 

Additionally, the original RTI data cited in the 2020 report only contained information up to 2019, and made no reference to any resignations linked to a 2025 conflict.

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Therefore, the viral claim is based on a manipulated image and misrepresented RTI data, and no evidence supports the assertion that 163 IAF pilots resigned following the India-Pakistan conflict of May 2025. 

Source
Report By India Today, Dated August 18, 2020