Did rebels shoot down helicopter carrying Lt Gen Sanjay Mitra's family in Uttarakhand? Indian Army fact-check reveals...

The Indian Army on Friday (Oct 30) pushed back against a claim that a helicopter carrying the family of Indian Army Lt Gen Sanjay Mitra was hit by rebels in Uttarakhand, calling the assertion misleading and unsupported. According to the army, "Pak-based social media accounts are circulating a false claim" that a helicopter carrying the family of Lt Gen Sanjay Mitra was hit by rebels in Uttarakhand.

The actual unfortunate incident involved a Bharat Trans Aviation helicopter operating from Badrinath to Sahastradhara, which crashed at approximately 1:14 PM. Six people were killed in the helicopter crash that happened in Uttarakhand's Chamoli district.

Debunking claims linking the incident to Lt Gen Sanjay Mitra's family and an alleged rebel attack, the Indian Army insisted that the social media claims were misleading and unsupported. “Verify Before You Amplify,” it said.

The dead included the pilot, Captain Himanshu Sabharwal, and five passengers from Bengaluru: Arun Salunke, H.S. Nagraja, Prathap Bichihalli, Sudhir K., and Shankar Gowda V.B. All six bodies have been recovered, the Karnataka government said in a press note.

Also read | All six aboard Badrinath-Dehradun helicopter killed in crash near Joshimath

Fact-check: False narrative spreading on social media

Propaganda accounts had claimed that an Indian Army helicopter was shot down by rebels using a rocket launcher, killing everyone on board, and that the aircraft was carrying senior military officers when it was targeted.

These claims are completely fake and fabricated, originating from Pakistan-based anti-India propaganda networks as part of their ongoing disinformation campaign against India. There are no verified and credible reports suggesting that the helicopter belonged to the Indian Army or that it was shot down. The incident was a helicopter crash, not an attack by rebels as falsely claimed.

What actually happened

According to information received from the Uttarakhand State Emergency Operations Centre (SEOC), the civil helicopter operated by Trans Bharat Aviation, carrying a pilot and five passengers from Karnataka, crashed at around 2 pm in the hilly terrain of the Hathi Parvat area while travelling from Badrinath to Dehradun.

The helicopter had gone missing earlier in the day after taking off from Badrinath. Chamoli Superintendent of Police (SP) Surjeet Singh Panwar said two teams comprising police, the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and Army personnel were deployed from Pandukeshwar and Joshimath to search for the missing aircraft.

In a self-recorded video statement, Panwar said the Trans Bharat Aviation helicopter took off from the Badrinath civil helipad for the Sahastradhara helipad on October 30 at approximately 1:12 PM, and its radar link was lost near Joshimath at 1:14 PM.

Also read | Helicopter carrying Badrinath pilgrims crashes near Joshimath

Rescue and recovery

The Uttarakhand disaster management authorities mobilised teams from the Army, SDRF, ITBP, police, Health Department, and district disaster management authorities to carry out search-and-rescue operations. The mortal remains are being brought to Joshimath for post-mortem examination.

The Karnataka Chief Minister's Office and the Relief Commissioner are coordinating with their counterparts in Uttarakhand to facilitate the transportation of the mortal remains to Karnataka at the earliest. The office of the Resident Commissioner at Karnataka Bhavan is also coordinating with the Uttarakhand authorities, and the Karnataka government said it was extending all possible assistance to the families of the deceased.