An image of a massive pyre in flames with many people standing around it has gone viral.
The image is shared with a caption suggesting that the pyre is of an Indian Air Force pilot who was allegedly flying a Rafale jet that was shot down by Pakistan during Operation Sindoor.
A social media user shared the video with a caption that reads, “Last rites of Sqn Ldr Rohit Kataria (32292), the Rafale pilot died in the 7 May clash by PAF, is being held today in Dharamshala.”
SouthCheck found that the claim is false. The viral image is old and unrelated to the death of any IAF pilot.
On a Google reverse image search, we found that the same image was uploaded by the stock image website, Alamy. The image was shared with a caption that reads, “People attend mass funeral of fifteen school girls at Bamroli village, near Bodeli, about 175 kilometres (108 miles) south of Ahmadabad, India, Wednesday, April 16, 2008.”
We further found the same image was also shared by Getty Images with a caption stating that the image shows Indian villagers paying their last respects at a mass cremation of 15 schoolgirls at the banks of the river Orsang in Bamroli, some 165 km from Ahmedabad, on April 16, 2008. At least 44 people, most of them children on their way to school, drowned when their bus plunged into the Narmada canal at Bodeli in the western Indian state of Gujarat.
Taking the hint, we searched with relevant keywords and found a report published by India Today on April 17, 2008. The report stated that 44 people died when a bus plunged into the river Narmada in Gujarat.
We also searched for Sqn Ldr Rohit Kataria mentioned in the claim caption, and found a government press release published in January 2024. The report stated that Rohit Kataria was a group captain and pilot who was awarded the Vayu Sena Medal for devotion to duty. His service number was 27443, which does not match the number in the social media posts.
Moreover, a report published by the Deccan Herald stated that all pilots who were part of Operation Sindoor returned home while five soldiers were martyred.
Therefore, we can ascertain that the viral claim is false.
