Over 100 Million Views Prompt Indian Government Action
X Says "Video Deleted from Indian Platform, Account Closures Not Possible"
A parody song by a Chinese influencer mocking the downing of India's French-made Rafale fighter jet is spreading, sparking outrage among Indians.
According to a compilation of Chinese-language media, including Hong Kong's Sing Tao Daily on May 15, a Chinese influencer known as Wanghong posted a video mocking the claim that India's French-made Rafale fighter jet was shot down by a Chinese-made jet operated by Pakistan.
Reports state that Wanghong, a patriotic influencer with about 16 million followers, uploaded a song to Chinese social media on May 8. The song is a parody of the famous track "Tunak Tunak Tun" by Indian national singer Daler Mehndi. The 1-minute and 12-second video features lyrics such as "The newly purchased fighter jet was shot down," "Nine billion dollars all gone," and "This time, you've been thoroughly humiliated."
Wanghong and other participants all wear turbans shaped like airplane models and dress in Indian attire, making it clear that the video is intended to mock India based on the claim that the Indian Air Force's latest French-made Rafale fighter jet was shot down in Pakistan.
In 2016, India signed a contract with France's Dassault Aviation to purchase 36 Rafale fighter jets for a total of $9 billion (about 12.6 trillion won). On May 8, Pakistan announced that it had shot down an Indian Rafale fighter jet using a Chinese-made J-10C fighter. The following day, a U.S. official confirmed that Pakistan's claim was accurate, but India has not acknowledged it.
While the Chinese government remains cautious regarding the claim made by its ally Pakistan, the original song's catchy nature and the narrative of a Chinese fighter jet downing a French-made jet have fueled Chinese patriotism. As a result, the parody song has surpassed 100 million views on platforms such as TikTok as of this date.
The video has been translated not only into Chinese but also into English and has begun spreading on overseas social media platforms such as X (formerly Twitter). The Pakistani Ministry of Defense also shared the video, and it has been reported by international media outlets such as CNN in the United States. In response, many Indians have expressed strong dissatisfaction, arguing that the video "ridicules Indian culture," with some even calling for UN intervention.
In response, the Indian government demanded the deletion of the video from X and the closure of about 8,000 accounts that shared it. The government also threatened to impose heavy fines if its requests were not met. However, X stated that while it would delete the video from the Indian platform, it could not close the accounts due to freedom of the press.
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