Heartbreaking 2019 Photo Falsely Linked To India-China Clash In Ladakh

A heartbreaking photo showing a young boy hug the body of his deceased father - an Indian Army officer, who died in Jorhat, Assam, last year, has resurfaced with many falsely linking it to the recent Indian-China clash in Galwan Valley, Ladakh where 20 Indian soldiers lost their lives.

BOOM found that the image was taken at the funeral of Lieutenant Colonel Subramaniam Anand in Tamil Nadu last year.

It has resurfaced after Indian troops clashed with the Peoples' Liberation Army (PLA) soldiers in Galwan Valley of Eastern Ladakh on June 15 and 16. Tensions along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) have escalated between both the troops in the past few months. The Indian Army confirmed the death of 20 of its soldiers including a Commanding Officer in the skirmish. However, China has not disclosed the official figure of casualties.

The image of Lt Col Anand's son embracing the former's body is being shared by netizens along with posts dedicated to the soldiers who died in action. Click here to view an archive of one such post.

The photograph was also tweeted by former cricketer Virender Sehwag and former Indian Army officer and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) member Surender Poonia with the same narrative. Click here and here to view an archive of the tweet.

Fact Check

BOOM ran a reverse image search on the photograph and found an article by a news outlet that covers defence related topics, Defence Stories, which reported about the incident. According to the Defence Stories article Lt Col Subramaniam Anand, part of the 4 Sikh Light Infantry, died on June 29 in Assam. According to the report, he died of multi-organ failure. Lt Col Anand's last rites were performed in his village in Kanyakumari district of Tamil Nadu on June 30, 2019 according to the article. He is survived by his wife and son.

BOOM also found a video of the funeral uploaded by the channel Kanya Kumari Jawans Official YouTube page. In moving visuals, Lt Col Anand's son can be seen from the 6 minute 50 seconds mark. The same viral image has also been included in the funeral rites video. The Kanya Kumari Jawans organisation's members were spotted helping the family during the last rites.

Lt Col Anand was awarded the Shaurya Chakra in 2009 for an act of gallantry in Assam, in October 2008.

Additionally, several netizens had tweeted the heart wrenching photo.

The same was reported in a local magazine, Cafe Kanyakumar on July 2.