No, this photo doesn’t show an Indian Army aircraft at Bangladesh's Tejgaon Air Base

What's the claim?

Viral Facebook posts dated August 3, 2024, claim to show a picture of a "special aircraft" of the Indian army stationed at Tejgaon Air Base in Dhaka, Bangladesh. The posts were posted amid the massive protests that led to the resignation of Bangladesh's Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. Archived versions of the posts can be found here, here, and here.  

Screenshots of viral Facebook posts claiming to show pictures of Indian Army Aircraft in Tejgaon Airbase in Dhaka, Bangladesh. (Source: Facebook/Modified by Logically Facts)

However, the image is from May 2021 and shows an Indian Air Force (IAF) aircraft in the Indian state of Jharkhand. It is unrelated to the recent Bangladesh unrest.

What we found

A reverse image search led us to a news report with this photo published on May 12, 2021. The caption of the photo says that it shows "An IAF aircraft carrying oxygen cylinders to help fight against COVID-19 arrives at Birsa Munda International Airport, in Ranchi, Monday, May 10, 2021" and is credited to the Press Trust of India (PTI). 

Taking a cue from this, we found other news reports about the IAF delivering oxygen cylinders to Ranchi in April and May 2021. We also identified the aircraft in the picture as a Boeing C-17 Globemaster, a heavy-duty cargo aircraft. The use of this aircraft to deliver Liquid Medical Oxygen (LMO) containers and other COVID-related medical equipment to the Birsa Munda airport was confirmed in news reports, which carried similar images of the exercise. 

A press release by the Ministry of Civil Aviation published by the Press Information Bureau also included a similar image of the aircraft. The press release, titled "Ranchi Airport contributes in the fight against Corona: Movement of medical essentials completed without delay," was published on May 10, 2021. A similar post (archived here) was uploaded by the Airport Authorities of India (AAI) on Facebook, tagging the IAF, on May 11, 2021, acknowledging Ranchi airport's role in facilitating the movement of medical supplies.

The above evidence shows the image predates the Bangladesh conflict and is from India.

The unrest in Bangladesh: What we know so far

Bangladesh has seen widespread protests since the beginning of July 2024, when the High Court reinstituted the quota system for government jobs in the country. This iteration reserved 30 percent of government jobs for children and grandchildren of freedom fighters and another 26 percent for women, marginalized districts, minorities, and people with physical disabilities. 

This decision led to widespread protests in Bangladesh led by the opposition, students, and students, which turned violent amid reports of police violence and shoot-on-sight orders. Reports also suggest that Awami League and the student wing Chhatra League members were involved in violence against protestors. 

After the Supreme Court partially scrapped the policy, protesters initially demanded a public apology from former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina for the government-sanctioned violence against protestors, the restoration of internet, the reopening of educational institutions, and the release of arrested protestors. This spiraled into country-wide protests demanding the resignation of Sheikh Hasina, who resigned and left the country on August 5, 2024, before her official residence, Gonobhaban, was stormed as protests surged.

Subsequently, the army announced the formation of an interim government led by Nobel laureate Mohammad Yunus as the chief adviser. Bangladesh President Mohammed Shahabuddin has called for political parties to restore order after a day of escalating tension. The curfew ended at 6 a.m., allowing government offices and educational institutions to reopen on August 6, 2024.

The current death toll in Bangladesh has crossed 300, according to news reports, which includes 94 killed during a fresh wave of protests on August 4, 2024.

The verdict

An old photo from May 10, 2021, of an IAF aircraft delivering COVID supplies during the second wave of the pandemic at the Birsa Munda Airport in Ranchi, Jharkhand, has been falsely linked to the ongoing Bangladesh unrest.