Viral claim about Ajit Pawar’s death and Wikipedia update is false
Mumbai: A wave of panic and speculation spread across social media on Wednesday following viral posts claiming that Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Ajit Pawar had died in a plane crash near Baramati in Pune district.
The posts further alleged that Pawar’s death had been updated on Wikipedia even before the crash occurred, fuelling conspiracy theories and claims of a possible pre-planned incident. However, these claims have been found to be completely false and misleading.
Digital analysts and fact-checkers have clarified that no such plane crash involving Ajit Pawar has taken place and that the viral screenshots circulating online are either fabricated or deliberately misinterpreted. Ajit Pawar is alive, and the rumours of his death are baseless.
Much of the confusion stems from screenshots of Wikipedia edit histories that appeared to show Pawar’s date of death being updated prior to the alleged time of the incident. Experts point out that Wikipedia displays edit timestamps in Coordinated Universal Time (UTC), not Indian Standard Time (IST).
Since IST is five hours and 30 minutes ahead of UTC, edits made after an event in India can sometimes appear, at first glance, to have been made “earlier” when viewed without understanding the time difference.
According to analysts, screenshots suggesting that Ajit Pawar’s page was updated at “4:00 am UTC” were misread by users as evidence of advance knowledge. In reality, such timestamps correspond to around 9:30 am IST, indicating that any update—if it occurred—would have been made only after information became public.
In some cases, edited or cropped screenshots were also circulated with malicious intent to create panic. Wikipedia, meanwhile, is an open-source platform where any registered user can edit pages, particularly during breaking news events.
When prominent political leaders are involved, multiple users often attempt to update pages simultaneously, leading to frequent changes in timestamps and occasional inaccuracies that are later corrected.
Political observers have warned against sharing unverified information, especially concerning senior leaders. “During high-profile or breaking news situations, misinformation spreads faster than facts. Users must rely on official confirmations and credible news sources,” a digital media expert said.
Ajit Pawar, a key political figure in Maharashtra, has been at the centre of major political developments since the 2019 Assembly elections and the subsequent split in the NCP. Given his political stature, experts say it is not unusual for false rumours and conspiracy theories to surface online.
Authorities and media watchdogs have urged citizens to exercise caution, verify information before sharing, and avoid amplifying rumours that can cause unnecessary panic and confusion.
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