Old image shared as cracks on Statue of Unity

What's being claimed?

An image showing construction work being carried out at the bottom of the Statue of Unity in the Indian state of Gujarat is being shared claiming it captures cracks on the statue, indicating it may fall anytime. The Statue of Unity is a 183-meter statue of Indian freedom fighter Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel along the Narmada river. Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the statue on October 31, 2018. 

An X (formerly Twitter) user shared the image with the caption: "It can fall any time. Cracks have started appearing (Translated from Hindi)." The post had two pictures of the Statue of Unity; one showing an aerial view of the statue, and the other showing construction at the statue's feet. The post had 8,400 likes and 2,100 reposts at the time of writing. An archive of similar posts can be found here and here. 

Screenshot of the social media posts. (Source: X/Facebook/Modified by Logically Facts)

However, the claim is false. The image is from before the statue's inauguration, when it was still under construction.

Here are the facts

Through a reverse image search, we found a similar image published in a New York Times article dated October 31, 2018. The image caption reads, "Construction workers made finishing touches on Oct. 18." The image was credited to European Pressphoto Agency (EPA) photographer Divyakant Solanki.

We found the original image captured by Solanki on the EPA image website, dated October 18, 2018. The description reads, "Indian workers at the construction site of the "Statue of Unity" portraying Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, at Kevadia, some 200 kilometers from Ahmadabad, India, 18 October 2018."  

The LA Times and BBC News Hindi published the same image, attributing it to the EPA.

The viral image shows workers placing the parts of the feet in their respective places by finishing the final touch-up work before the inauguration. India Today's video coverage of the statue shows no cracks on its feet on the day of its inauguration in 2018.  Moreover, a recent photo shared this August on the Statue of Unity's verified Facebook account shows no cracks in the statue. 

The claim emerged following the collapse of the Maratha ruler Chhatrapati Shivaji statue, located at Rajkot Fort in Sindhudurg district, due to heavy rains on August 26, 2024. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had inaugurated the 35-foot statue on December 4, 2023. The Indian Navy and technical experts are investigating the case. Sculptor-contractor Jaydeep Apte has been arrested so far, The Hindu reported.

The verdict

A 2018 image of the Statue of Unity, captured when it was under construction, has been shared with the false claim that cracks have appeared on the statue.