A social media post (here, here, and here) is going viral, highlighting an alleged Washington Post report about U.S.-based Sikh separatist leader Gurpatwant Singh Pannun staging an attack on himself to frame India. The post questions why this isn’t being discussed and claims that after a year-long investigation, the U.S. found Pannun’s attack was staged. It also suggests that the FBI is investigating this claim based on startling facts from one of Pannun’s associates. Let’s verify the authenticity of the post through this article.
Claim: Sikh separatist leader Gurpatwant Singh Pannun staged an attack on himself to implicate India – The Washington Post.
Fact: The post shared an edited screenshot of a Washington Post article, originally published on 29 April 2024, titled “An Assassination Plot on American Soil Reveals a Darker Side of Modi’s India”. Garry Shih, Washington Post India bureau chief, confirmed on X that the viral post is edited and not The WaPo story. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
A keyword search of the viral post’s headline led us to the original The Washington Post article, titled “An Assassination Plot on American Soil Reveals a Darker Side of Modi’s India,” published on 29 April 2024. The content of the original article differs from the claims in the viral post. Additionally, the viral post has several grammatical errors.
Further investigation led us to an X post by Garry Shih, the Washington Post India bureau chief, stating: “The viral post below is photoshopped and NOT a @washingtonpost story.” This confirms that the claims in the viral post are false and not associated with The Washington Post.
To sum up, an edited screenshot of The Washington Post article has been falsely shared as a WaPo report about Sikh separatist leader Gurpatwant Singh Pannun staging an attack on himself to implicate India.
