Authors
On 7 February, Chamoli district in Uttarakhand witnessed flash floods reportedly caused after a part of Nanda Devi’s glacier broke. The northern Indian state has lost at least 35 lives to this disaster and over 100 people are still known to be missing. Rescue efforts continue.
Amid this, an image of people carrying sacks is being attributed to RSS workers volunteering after the recent flash floods in Uttarakhand.
One such claim with the image was shared by Hindi cinema actor Paresh Rawal. His tweet reads, “Any calamity Anywhere In India . #RSS is the first one to reach there and Last one to leave . Always.Respect.”
Any calamity Anywhere In India . #RSS is the first one to reach there and Last one to leave . Always.Respect. https://t.co/52sY4hS3fO— Paresh Rawal (@SirPareshRawal) February 11, 2021
Another user’s tweet shared on 11 February reads, “100s of #RSS volunteers are in #Chamoli working 24×7 without any desire for publicity. Compare it with charity tourist org which published 50 pictures of it’s 6 “volunteers” even before they started their drive to disaster site in their SUV. #Hindus should support their own.”
BJP national spokesperson RP Singh shared this claim as well.
चमोली तपोवन के लगभग 13 गांवो के तो अवशेष ही बचे है पुल बह चुका है सड़कों का नामोनिशां नहीं ऐसे में खाद्यों से भरी बोरियां कंधे पर उठाए @RSSorg के स्वयंसेवको ने मोर्चा संभाल रक्खा है ताकि कोई भूखा न सोये न ही कोई बीमारी से मरे। #UttarakhandGlacierBurst pic.twitter.com/Pnh4162l64— R.P. Singh: ਆਰ ਪੀ ਸਿੰਘ National Spokesperson BJP (@rpsinghkhalsa) February 11, 2021
An archived version of the claim can viewed here.
Fact Check/ Verification
Through Google reverse image search we found the image in context included in a report published by Samvada.org eight years ago. The image is included with the caption, “RSS Swayamsevaks in Uttarakhand.”
Around 5000 volunteers worked in the different flood-affected areas in the state including Haridwar and Rishikesh after the 2013 cloudburst calamity, as per the report. At the time, 15 centres and different types of camps including food distribution, medical camps, and rescue assistance were set up across the state.
Further, we found more images of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh’s (RSS) workers volunteering after the cloudburst calamity, which caused massive flooding in Kedarnath and Rambada regions in Uttarakhand.
Another report published on fdocuments.in details the role of RSS (Sangh) Swayamsevaks in Uttarakhand flooding disaster management, 2013. This includes the image from the claim with the caption, “Photo 5.Swayamsevaks carrying Relief Supplies on their Shoulders in Hilly regions of Uttarakhand.”
This claim has been debunked in our Hindi fact-check as well.
Conclusion
Our research makes it clear that the image in the claim is from 2018. It shows RSS workers volunteering in relief efforts after the cloudburst disaster in the state eight years ago. It does not reflect RSS efforts in the current flash floods situation in Chamoli.
Result: Misplaced Context
Our Sources
Samvada.org: https://samvada.org/2013/news/day-12-rss-relief-works-at-uttarankhand-a-brief-report/
Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh: https://www.rss.org/UttarakhandFloodRelief2013.html
India Documents: https://fdocuments.in/document/role-of-rss-sangh-swayamsevaks-in-uttarakhanda-flooding-disaster-management.html
If you would like us to fact check a claim, give feedback or lodge a complaint, WhatsApp us at 9999499044 or email us at checkthis@newschecker.in. You can also visit the Contact Us page and fill the form.
