The Indian Army has rejected social-media claims that a helicopter crash near Joshimath in Uttarakhand was caused by a rebel attack and involved the family of Lieutenant General Sanjay Mitra, General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Central Command. The Army said the allegations were fabricated and had no factual basis.
The clarification followed posts circulated by several Pakistan-based social-media accounts after a helicopter went down in Chamoli district on 30 October 2026. Those posts alleged that Lieutenant General Mitra and members of his family were travelling from Badrinath to Dehradun when the aircraft was attacked near Joshimath.
“All six people on board the chopper that crashed in Joshimath have died, their bodies have been found,” Chamoli Superintendent of Police Surjit Singh Panwar told the media.
According to the Army’s fact-check, the aircraft was operated by Trans Bharat Aviation and was flying from Badrinath to Sahastradhara Heliport. It was not carrying the Army officer’s family. The service also rejected the suggestion that militants or rebels had attacked the helicopter.
The aircraft took off from Badrinath at about 1:14 pm IST on Friday. Officials said contact was lost while it was crossing the Joshimath Valley, and the helicopter was later reported missing near Hathi Parvat. It crashed near Chai village in Chamoli district.
Six people killed in the crash
The six people on board were killed, according to the authorities cited in the clarification. The occupants were identified as pilot Captain Himanshu and five passengers:
- Prathapa
- Arun
- Shankar Gowda
- Sudheer K
- H.S. Natraja
The five passengers were reportedly from Bengaluru. Search and rescue teams, including personnel from the State Disaster Response Force, took part in the response after the crash was reported.
The Army’s statement distinguishes the confirmed aviation accident from the online narrative that portrayed it as an attack on a military-linked passenger flight. It also directly addressed the claim that the aircraft carried the family of the Central Command chief, identifying that allegation as false.
The incident has therefore involved both a fatal civilian helicopter accident and the circulation of misleading material attempting to attach a military and security dimension to it. The Army’s clarification said the actual aircraft, operator, route and passenger details did not match the claims circulated online.
