Parwinder Sandhu
New Delhi, Oct 11 (UNI) Just hours after Squadron Leader Shivangi Singh made history as the first Indian woman fighter pilot to receive the prestigious Qualified Flying Instructor (QFI) badge, a Pakistani propaganda account named “Ousai2002” tried to create controversy by claiming that the Indian Air Force had shared a digitally altered image of the officer.
After completing an intensive six-month training programme at the Indian Air Force’s Flying Instructors School in Tambaram, Tamil Nadu, Singh earned the coveted Qualified Flying Instructor (QFI) badge, during a felicitation ceremony organised on October 9. The officer was awarded the honour by Air Marshal Tejbir Singh, Senior Air Staff Officer (SASO) of the IAF’s Training Command,
It isn’t the first time that Singh has become a victim of fake propaganda. Earlier, during Operation Sindoor, various rumours circulated suggesting that India had lost several fighter jets, including a Rafale. Some reports even alleged that Singh, India’s first and only female Rafale pilot, had been captured near Sialkot after ejecting from her aircraft, which was purportedly shot down. Soon after a fake video claiming that IAF Chief, Air Chief Marshal AP Singh, visiting the home of the IAF pilot went viral on social media.
Later, the chatter on social media handles has gained momentum regarding her “alleged disappearance. However, it was debunked by the government which claimed that Singh, was not captured by Pakistan during Operation Sindoor”.
The Squadron Leader shot into the limelight way back in 2020 when she was shortlisted for flying Rafale. Earlier she was flying MiG-21 Bison aircraft. Hailing from Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh, Singh got commissioned in the Indian Air Force in 2017, as part of IAF’s second batch of women fighter pilots. Following an intrusive process, she was shortlisted as a Rafale pilot in 2020.
Stating that the recent claim of the picture being fake is incorrect, the Press Information Bureau’s Fact check team posted on X. “This claim is #FAKE. Squadron Leader Shivangi Singh was awarded the Qualified Flying Instructor (QFI) badge during the Valedictory Ceremony of the 159th Qualified Flying Instructor Course (QFIC). The official image from the ceremony is available on the official X handle.”
Amid speculation following Op Sindoor, the IAF shared the first photograph of the officer, posting on X: “The valedictory ceremony for the 159th #QFIC was held at FIS AFS Tambaram on 09 Oct 25. Air Mshl Tejbir Singh, SASO TC IAF, was the Chief Guest. A total of 59 officers from the IAF, sister services, and friendly foreign nations were awarded the prestigious ‘#QualifiedFlyingInstructor’ badge.” The images showed Singh receiving the honour from the Air Marshal and later posing in a group photograph with fellow officers.
