Rajasthan education dept website hacked, shows message alluding to Pahalgam, 2019 Abhinandan capture

State Education Minister Madan Dilawar said the department took “immediate cognizance” of the incident. He said that the IT wing of the education department has been activated.

As of Tuesday afternoon, the website is down, with Dilawar saying it has been temporarily shut and that recovery work is being undertaken.

Education department officials said cyber security agencies have been informed about the incident and that an investigation has been initiated to find out the group responsible.

The Education Minister said there is no confirmation yet regarding any sensitive information having been leaked. However, as a precaution, a comprehensive investigation of all systems is being conducted, he said.

Group Captain Abhinandan Varthaman, who was then a Wing Commander, was captured by the Pakistani Army on February 27, 2019, after his MiG-21 Bison jet was shot down in a dogfight with Pakistani jets during aerial combat. Before his jet was hit, he had downed one of Pakistan’s F-16 fighter jets. This came in the aftermath of the Pulwama terror attack of February 2019.

After being captured, he was released on the night of March 1.

He was awarded the Vir Chakra by President Ram Nath Kovind at a ceremony at Rashtrapati Bhawan in November 2021. The Vir Chakra is the third-highest Indian military honour during wartime after Param Vir Chakra and Maha Chakra.