Indian Ministry of External Affairs Launches Instagram Fact-Check Account

India's Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has expanded its fact-checking efforts to Instagram, days after a viral social media post falsely attributed remarks about alleged foreign funding of protests to MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal. The ministry launched its @meafactcheck Instagram account this week to counter misinformation.

The move follows an incident where the MEA's fact-check handle on X flagged a viral post as misleading. The post claimed Jaiswal stated there was no foreign funding for certain protests, a statement the ministry later rejected, saying it "misrepresents the statement of the Spokesperson." Jaiswal had clarified that he had no information to share on the matter.

The account's first fact-check addressed a claim that Jammu, Kashmir, and Ladakh are not "integral parts" of India and remain a disputed territory. The MEA refuted this, stating that the entire Union Territories are "integral and inalienable parts of India," irrespective of Pakistan's occupation.

An account named @AzadKashAffairs, which appeared to spread the initial misinformation regarding Kashmir, has reportedly been withheld in India on X following a legal demand. The launch of the Instagram account extends the MEA's fact-checking presence beyond X and signals the ministry's increased efforts to publicly respond to misleading claims about its work and official statements.