NEW DELHI: The official website of the Rajasthan Education Department was hacked on Tuesday, with objectionable content uploaded related to the 22 April terrorist attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, where 26 people, mostly tourists, were killed.
The hackers also displayed a message mocking the Indian establishment over the 2019 capture of Indian Air Force officer Abhinandan Varthaman by Pakistan. The inflammatory posts appeared on the homepage of the website.
In one of the posts, the hackers, identifying themselves as members of the “Pakistan Cyber Force“, made inflammatory remarks targeting India and referenced the recent Pahalgam attack.
The message claimed the incident was an “inside job” and contained threatening language, stating: “You lit the fire. Now brace for the meltdown. Next hit won’t be with bullets- it’ll be Bytes. The tea is fantastic. No boarders. No warning. No mercy.”
Following the breach, Rajasthan education minister Madan Dilawar instructed the department’s IT wing to restore the website as a matter of urgency. The site has since been temporarily taken offline to facilitate restoration to its original state.
“The department has informed the relevant cyber security agencies, and an investigation has been launched to identify the group behind the attack and assess the extent of the data breach,” Dilawar stated.
He added that, although no sensitive data leaks have been confirmed at this stage, a comprehensive audit of the system is currently underway.
Earlier in the day, the homepage of the hacked site displayed a message titled “Fantastic Tea Club Pakistan Cyber Force” alongside inflammatory content regarding the Pahalgam terror attack. The message appeared to mock the Indian government by referencing the capture of Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman during a military confrontation in February 2019.
Varthaman’s MiG-21 Bison aircraft was downed during an aerial dogfight after Pakistani jets crossed the Line of Control (LoC), attempting to target Indian military installations in retaliation for India’s air strike on a major Jaish-e-Mohammed training camp in Pakistan. He was captured and held for over two days before being returned to India.
During his brief captivity, the Pakistani military released videos of the officer, including one in which he was seen calmly drinking tea and responding to questions famously stating, “The tea is fantastic.”
The cyber attack is being taken seriously by both state and central authorities, with investigations continuing to track down those responsible and ensure the integrity of official systems.
