Lt Kiran Shekhawat died in a 2015 Dornier crash during a night mission; viral assault story is false
Lt Kiran Shekhawat died in a 2015 Dornier crash during a night mission; viral assault story is false
Executive Summaryसारांश
Facts from Honourpoint, which documents India’s fallen soldiers, contradict Baba Thoka’s claim about Navy Lt Kiran Shekhawat’s death. She was serving as an Observer when her Dornier crashed off Goa during a night mission on March 24, 2015. There is no record of any assault or deliberate crash.Facts from Honourpoint, which documents India’s fallen soldiers, contradict Baba Thoka’s claim about Navy Lt Kiran Shekhawat’s death. She was serving as an Observer when her Dornier crashed off Goa during a night mission on March 24, 2015. There is no record of any assault or deliberate crash.
Full Reportपूरी रिपोर्ट
Fact-checkers have cited a detailed account on Honourpoint to counter Baba Thoka’s (@ThokaReturns) fabricated claim that Lt Kiran Shekhawat crashed her aircraft to escape assault by fellow officers. In March 2015, Lt Shekhawat was serving with Indian Naval Air Squadron 310, the “Cobras”, at INS Hansa in Goa. On March 24, she flew a night maritime surveillance sortie in a Dornier Do-228 as the Observer, with Commander Nikhil Joshi as pilot and Lt Abhinav Nagori as co-pilot. At about 2200 hours, the crew reported “Ops Normal” to air traffic control. Shortly afterwards, during a low-level flying manoeuvre at around 50 feet, the aircraft disappeared from radar. It crashed about 25 nautical miles off Goa at around 2208 hours. The bodies of Lt Shekhawat and Lt Nagori were recovered two days later from the wreckage, about 60 metres underwater. Commander Joshi survived and was rescued by a local fisherman. Lt Shekhawat was not at the controls, and one of the officers the post accuses also died in the crash. She is honoured as the first woman officer of the Indian Navy to die in the line of duty, and her father, Honorary Lieutenant Vijendra Singh Shekhawat (Retd), runs a charitable organisation in her memory. The viral claim dishonours a fallen officer and should not be shared.
Fact-checkers have cited a detailed account on Honourpoint to counter Baba Thoka’s (@ThokaReturns) fabricated claim that Lt Kiran Shekhawat crashed her aircraft to escape assault by fellow officers. In March 2015, Lt Shekhawat was serving with Indian Naval Air Squadron 310, the “Cobras”, at INS Hansa in Goa. On March 24, she flew a night maritime surveillance sortie in a Dornier Do-228 as the Observer, with Commander Nikhil Joshi as pilot and Lt Abhinav Nagori as co-pilot. At about 2200 hours, the crew reported “Ops Normal” to air traffic control. Shortly afterwards, during a low-level flying manoeuvre at around 50 feet, the aircraft disappeared from radar. It crashed about 25 nautical miles off Goa at around 2208 hours. The bodies of Lt Shekhawat and Lt Nagori were recovered two days later from the wreckage, about 60 metres underwater. Commander Joshi survived and was rescued by a local fisherman. Lt Shekhawat was not at the controls, and one of the officers the post accuses also died in the crash. She is honoured as the first woman officer of the Indian Navy to die in the line of duty, and her father, Honorary Lieutenant Vijendra Singh Shekhawat (Retd), runs a charitable organisation in her memory. The viral claim dishonours a fallen officer and should not be shared.