Ahmedabad: An old photograph of former Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani, who died in the June 12 Air India plane crash, went viral shortly after the incident, being falsely circulated online as his last picture before the crash.

A selfie featuring a masked woman with Rupani in the background is being misrepresented on social media as the final photo of the politician taken aboard the ill-fated flight. However, the image is unrelated to the crash.

A fact-check has revealed that the photo was taken years ago, in 2021. Lina Goswami, the woman in the photo, clarified to India Today that the picture was taken on October 12, 2021. One reason the photo gained attention was Lina sharing it on her Facebook, writing: “Rupani Sir, we were on the same flight together. Prayers for you and people on board for safety and well-being.” However, Lina mistakenly mentioned the wrong date—June 12 instead of October 12—in her Facebook post.

It is also noteworthy that Rupani, while entering the airport on the ill-fated day, was seen in a video wearing a light blue shirt and a navy blue jacket over it. He was again spotted in a video of two foreign nationals wearing the same clothes. In contrast, the falsely claimed viral picture shows him wearing a t-shirt.

The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, en route from Ahmedabad to London’s Gatwick Airport, crashed into a medical college hostel shortly after takeoff, killing 241 of the 242 people on board and over 30 people on the ground. DeshGujarat