A social media post claiming to be the last picture of former Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani from the Air India flight before it crashed in Ahmedabad on Thursday afternoon has gone viral.
Vijay Rupani In Ill-Fated Flight
The London-bound Air India plane carrying 242 passengers and crew crashed in a crowded residential area minutes after taking off from the Ahmedabad airport. Going by the passengers’ list, Rupani was travelling to London on this flight.
“Vijay Rupani was going to London by the Air India flight,” said senior state BJP leader Bhupendrasinh Chudasama. “I am going to the city civil hospital to inquire about him,” Chudasama told reporters.
As the news of his travelling on the flight hit the headlines, a picture claiming to be his last photo before the plane crash has hit the internet. In the snap, he is seen sitting while a woman has taken a selfie capturing him.
Oneindia cannot verify the authenticity of the photo. While some social media users claim that it is an old picture, Grok, a generative artificial intelligence chatbot, says that the picture was taken on Thursday.
“The picture appears to be new, likely taken on June 12, 2025, before the Air India flight crash in Ahmedabad. Vijay Rupani, former Gujarat Chief Minister, was on the flight, and reports confirm this image as his last known photo. The timing of the post and news coverage supports its recency. The text “Delta med BY gyanesh” seems unrelated and doesn’t change the conclusion.”
However, Google’s Gemini has something else to say. Looking at the interiors of the flight, the chatbot claims that it appears to be an Airbus A320 family aircraft.
“Based on the interior visible in the image, particularly the overhead bins, the lighting, and the general cabin layout, it appears to be an Airbus A320 family aircraft (like an A319, A320, or A321) or possibly a Boeing 737. It does not appear to be a Boeing 787 Dreamliner. Dreamliners have distinctively larger windows with electronic dimming, and their cabin interiors have a different feel with more sculpted overhead bins and often mood lighting that isn’t clearly visible here.”
The DGCA (Directorate General of Civil Aviation) said that the pilot of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner issued a ‘Mayday’ distress call, denoting a full emergency, soon after takeoff.
Vijaybhai Ramniklalbhai Rupani served as the 16th Chief Minister of Gujarat from 2016 to 2021 for two terms. He was a member of the Gujarat Legislative Assembly, representing Rajkot West.
The Plane Crash
Minutes after taking off, the London-bound Air India plane carrying 242 passengers and crew crashed in a crowded residential on Thursday in Ahmedabad.
According to a report in PTI, Air India flight was under the command of Capt Sumeet Sabharwal along with First Officer Clive Kundar. While Sabharwal has 8,200 hours of flying experience, Kundar 1,100 hours, the DGCA said in a statement.
Aviation sources told the news agency that the aircraft climbed just about 600-800 feet before it plummeted to the ground.
“The plane was flying very low and it crashed into the residential quarters of doctors and nursing staff of civil hospital and BJ Medical college,” Haresh Shah, an eyewitness, told PTI. “There are several five floor buildings which are residential quarters of doctors and nursing staff. Many people in those apartments were injured as along with the plane the buildings also caught fire,” he said.