Rajasthan army drill shared as Indian military exercise near Bangladesh border
A video of a combat exercise of the Indian Army in Rajasthan is being shared on Facebook as if it shows a military exercise near the Bangladesh border. But a Dismislab fact-check found that the video is from Rajasthan, not from the Bangladesh-India border. Originally, the video shows a military exercise called “Sentinel Strike” by the Indian Army at the Mahajan Field Firing Range in the Thar Desert.
A video circulating on Facebook claims, “India is conducting massive military exercises near the Bangladesh border. What is Bangladesh’s preparation?” One person commented on the post, “We should also do something.” Another wrote, “India is trying to scare us, but we can respond. We have capabilities now.” The video has been viewed more than 1 million times and shared nearly 2,000 times.
A keyframe search found the same video on the Facebook page of Indian Aerospace Defence News (IADN), called IADN Center. Published on November 2, the caption of the video says, “Indian Army conducted Exercise Sentinel Strike at Mahajan Field Firing Ranges (Rajasthan) from October 28–30.”
Further keyword searches bring up a video report from NDTV’s verified YouTube channel. The video in the report matches exactly the video fact-checked by Dismislab. In the description, NDTV writes, “Sapta Shakti Command leads massive integrated drill ‘Sentinel Strike’ at Mahajan Field Firing Ranges, showcasing precision fire and manoeuvre capabilities in the Thar Desert.”
The same video appears on the YouTube channel of Indian Sentinel, a news outlet covering India’s defense, diplomacy, and geostrategy. It states, “Indian Army’s Sapta Shakti Command (South Western Command) undertook, major Integrated Fire & Manoeuvre Exercise named Sentinel Strike from October 28 to 30 at Mahajan Field Firing Ranges (MFFR) in Rajasthan’s Thar Desert.”
Several reports about the exercise were also tracked down (1, 2, 3, 4). The Press Trust of India reported on November 15 that the Indian Army’s Sapta Shakti Command conducted a major war exercise at the Mahajan Field Firing Range in the Thar Desert. Led by the Ranbankura Division, the exercise tested the soldiers’ readiness and capabilities. Command chief Lieutenant General Manjinder Singh observed the drill. The Economic Times, citing a defence spokesperson, reported, “The three-day ‘Sentinel Strike’ exercise involved coordinated ground manoeuvres by mechanised forces and live firing by aerial and ground platforms, including long-range indigenous systems, attack helicopters, artillery guns, Ajeya (T-72) tanks and BMPs.”
Notably, Rajasthan does not share a border with Bangladesh. Rajasthan is in western India, bordering Pakistan. Bangladesh borders India’s eastern and southeastern states, such as West Bengal, Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura, and Mizoram.
In summary, the video shows an integrated fire and maneuver exercise by the Indian Army in the Thar Desert of Rajasthan, not near the Bangladesh border.
