Wing Commander Iyer's note is not related to Coonoor chopper crash
In light of the recent helicopter crash in Coonoor that killed Chief of Defense Staff (CDS) General Bipin Rawat and 13 others
By Newsmeter Network Published on 16 Dec 2021 6:00 AM GMT
HYDERABAD: In light of the recent helicopter crash in Coonoor that killed Chief of Defense Staff (CDS) General Bipin Rawat and 13 others, a note allegedly written by Wing Commander Venki Iyer, is circulating on social media.
Titled `A soldier's father', the note details Iyer's interaction with the father of Flying Officer Vikram Singh.
Vikram Singh is said to be one of the 13 onboard along with CDS Rawat who was killed in the chopper accident. Iyer was to meet Vikram Singh's father.
The note highlights interactions and conversations of Vikram Singh's brothers who were also killed while serving the country.
FACT CHECK:
The viral post is not linked to the recent chopper crash in Coonoor.
A total of 14 people, including CDS Rawat, were on board the Mi-17V5 helicopter at the time of the crash. Apart from General Rawat, his wife Madhulika, Defense adviser Brigadier LS Lidder, Col Harjinder Singh, Lance Naik Vivek Kumar, Lance Naik Jitender Kumar, Wg Cdr PS Chauhan, Sqn Ldr Kuldeep, Lance Naik B Sai Teja, Naik Gursevak Singh, Havildar Satpal Rai, JWO RP Das, JWO A Pradeep and Group Captain Varun Singh were killed in the incident.
There was no one by the name of Vikram Singh on board with CDS Rawat. Clearly, the viral note has no connection to any individuals in the chopper crash.
Moreover, the same viral note has been circulating on the internet for almost a decade. The same note was posted on Facebook in 2013 and has also been carried in several blogs in different years (click here and here to view). NewsMeter, however, could not find any credible site reporting on this viral note of Iyer interacting with a father who lost three of his sons in the line of duty. Clearly, the viral note is not recent.
According to the viral note, the father who is identified as Army veteran Lachhman Singh Rathore lost three sons- Captain Ghanshyam Singh of Gurkha Rifles (allegedly in the 1962 war), Major Bir Singh (allegedly in the 1965 war), and Vikram Singh, who is said to have died in the recent chopper crash. But when NewsMeter checked the online memorial, "Honourpoint", it did not find the names of either of the sons in the list of soldiers who died in the 1962 Indo-China war or in the 1965 Indo-Pakistan war. https://www.honourpoint.in/
Although it cannot be ascertained if the story in the viral note is true, it is clear that the post is old and not related to the recent chopper crash in Coonoor.
Thus, the claim that a note by a Wing Commander was written to Vikram Singh, a victim of the Coonoor chopper crash is false.
