Fact-Check: Ratan Tata Did Not Provide the Indian Army with Bulletproof Buses!

MIDHANI group handed over the bus to the CRPF in 2017.

Fact-Check: This claim is false. The image of the bus dates back to 2017 when the MIDHANI group provided the CRPF with bulletproof buses. 

(Source: Altered by The Quint) 

A graphic featuring two photos, showing a photo of Indian industrialist and former chairperson of the Tata group Ratan Tata and the other of an armored bus is being shared on social media platforms.

What is the claim?: Those sharing have claimed that Ratan Tata provided the Indian army with bullet and bombproof buses.

An archive of the post can be found here. 

(Source: Facebook/Screenshot) 

(Archives of similar claims can be found here and here.)

Is this true?: This claim is false.

• This bus was handed over to the Central Reserve Police Force by the metal manufacturing Hyderabad-based group, Mishra Dhatu Nigam Limited (MIDHANI) in 2017.

How did we find out?: We ran a Google reverse image search on the portion of the bus and came across a post on X (formerly Twitter) on CRPF’s official page from 7 September 2017.

• It was a photo of an armored bus same as the viral post.

• Below is the comparison.

Here is the comparison between the two posts. 

(Source: Altered by The Quint) 

• It was uploaded with the caption that read, “Armored Bus and Bhabha Kavach, lightweight BP jacket manufactured under #MakeInIndia by MIDHANI handed over to DG CRPF today."

• Further, with a relevant keyword search, we also found a news video report from 7 September 2017 by NDTV India.

• NDTV noted that the bulletproof bus designed by MIDHANI was primarily to be used in Jammu and Kashmir.

• Apart from the bus, the CRPF was gifted the Bhabha Kavach (India's lightest bullet-proof jacket) and few weapons by MIDHANI.

• We looked for any posts or visuals regarding bullet and bombproof buses on Tata Advanced Systems' (their defence and aerospace engineering wing) X account, but did not find any relevant results.

• Additionally, we looked for news reports and statements from the Tata Group about Ratan Tata gifting the bus to the Indian army however, we did not find any.

• The Quint has reached out to the Tata Group for their comments and the story will be updated once the response comes.

Conclusion: It is being falsely claimed that Ratan Tata provided bombproof buses to the Indian army. MIDHANI group handed over the bus to the CRPF in September 2017.

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