Fact Check: Viral Picture Claiming A Chinook Helicopter Delivered A JCB Machine During The Uttarakhand Disaster Is FAKE And Edited
The viral picture claiming that a Chinook helicopter delivered a JCB machine to Dharali due to road blockage in Uttarkashi, Uttarakhand, is edited and fake.
- By: Abhishek Parashar
- Published: Aug 12, 2025 at 12:21 PM
New Delhi (Vishvas News). Relief and rescue operations are underway to find the missing and evacuate the stranded people after the Dharali disaster in Uttarakhand. Police, fire, and SDRF teams are conducting search operations by marking possible locations at the Harshil-Dharali disaster site. Meanwhile, a photo is going viral on social media, which shows a Chinook helicopter carrying a JCB machine, with claims that it depicts a rescue operation in which a JCB machine was airlifted to Dharali due to road closures in the state.
Vishvas News investigated the claim and found it to be false. The original picture was taken during the 2021 Air Force Parade Day held at Air Force Station, Hindon, Ghaziabad, where a Chinook helicopter airlifted a howitzer gun to showcase the military capability. This same picture has been edited and shared with a fake claim as an image from the Dharali disaster.
What is viral?
Social media user ‘parsa.ram.suthar‘ shared the image with the caption, “Due to road closure, JCB machine was transported by Chinook helicopter to Dharali, Uttarakhand.”
We came across this photo being shared with the same context on various social media platforms.
Investigation
The official X handle of Uttarkashi Police has been regularly posting updates on the ongoing relief and rescue operation at the Harshil-Dharali disaster site. According to the information shared on August 10, 2025 “Police, fire, and SDRF personnel are engaged in search operations by identifying possible locations at the Harshil-Dharali disaster site. The rescue is being led on the spot by senior officials.”
Search and rescue operations are progressing swiftly at the incident site, with all essential supplies being provided and stranded individuals being airlifted from the disaster zone.
Large-scale debris removal is also underway using JCB machines.
We found no image on this social media handle or in any report showing a Chinook lifting a JCB machine.
To trace the source of the viral photo, we used advanced reverse image search, which led us to several reports featuring the original photo.
According to a prokerala.com report dated October 8, 2021, this picture is from the 2021 Air Force Day Parade at Air Force Station (Hindon), where Chinook helicopters demonstrated their capability by airlifting a howitzer gun.
This report also includes other pictures from the parade. Based on this lead, we found the same photo shared on the official X handle of PRO Defence Palam, showing the Meghna formation and a Chinook helicopter airlifting M777 Howitzer guns.
This confirms that the viral image is edited, with a JCB machine digitally inserted in place of a Howitzer tank.
Uttarkashi Police has also refuted the claim associated with the viral photo on its official handle. Using the InVid tool, we compared both images and found that the JCB and other backgrounds in the photo have been edited and added to it.
We contacted Devendra Sati, Editor-in-Charge of Dainik Jagran Dehradun, regarding the viral picture. He confirmed that this picture is not related to the Harshil, Dharali disaster relief and rescue operation in Uttarkashi. According to him, Chinook helicopters were used only to transport large generators and other supplies to the disaster site.
The Instagram user who shared the viral post with the fake claim has around three lakh followers.
Conclusion: The viral picture claiming that a Chinook helicopter delivered a JCB machine to Dharali due to road blockage in Uttarkashi, Uttarakhand, is edited and fake.
- Claim Review : Due to road closure, JCB machine was transported by helicopter to Chinook in Dharali, Uttarakhand
- Claimed By : Facebook user parsa.ram.suthar
- Fact Check : False
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