DGIPR Refutes Viral Claims Linking Ajit Pawar Plane Crash to Pre-Edited Wikipedia Page
Mumbai, 30th January 2026: The Maharashtra Directorate General of Information and Public Relations (DGIPR) has dismissed social media allegations suggesting that the aircraft crash involving Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar was “pre-planned” based on a purported early update to his Wikipedia page.
In an official statement shared on X, the department described the circulating posts as misleading and factually incorrect. It clarified that the confusion stemmed from time zone differences, noting that Wikipedia logs edits in Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) rather than Indian Standard Time (IST). Since UTC is 5 hours and 30 minutes behind IST, edits made after the incident in India could appear to have been posted earlier when viewed in UTC format.
The DGIPR further cautioned that some screenshots being circulated online had been tampered with using browser inspection tools to manipulate timestamps. Such alterations, officials said, were deliberately designed to fuel conspiracy theories and spread misinformation.
Authorities have urged the public not to forward unverified claims and to rely only on official and credible sources for updates. They stressed that there is no factual basis linking the Wikipedia edit to the tragic accident that claimed Pawar’s life.
The clarification comes amid a surge of speculative content on social media, prompting the state’s information department to intervene and counter what it described as false narratives capable of creating unnecessary suspicion and unrest.
