Just days before Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Seychelles, the island nation created a new presidential distinction – the “Guardian of the Blue Horizon”. It then made Modi its first recipient.

But more than the award, it was the citation circulated by the BJP that went viral. 

The certificate was peppered with typos. Republic became “Repubblic”. Seychelles turned into “Seycheeles”. And the Latin word OPUS appeared as OPVS on the official-looking seal.

The award itself had been approved by the Seychelles cabinet only on June 24, just four days before the ceremony.

Then came another twist. Some social media users suggested the citation had been generated using AI. That speculation grew after OpenAI’s image verification tool reportedly detected a SynthID watermark in the publicly circulated image of the certificate. The watermark indicates the online image was AI-generated, though it does not establish that the physical certificate presented during the ceremony was.

Adding to the mystery, neither India’s Ministry of External Affairs nor the Seychelles State House has published the citation on its official website, making it impossible to independently verify whether the online version matches the one handed to the prime minister.

The award coincided with Seychelles’ Golden Jubilee celebrations marking 50 years of independence. Modi attended the National Day parade as guest of honour alongside Mauritian Prime Minister Navinchandra Ramgoolam and African Union Commission Chairperson Mahmoud Ali Youssouf.

The visit produced 19 bilateral outcomes across defence, maritime security, digital payments, healthcare, agriculture, education and space cooperation. Modi also announced a USD 175 million Special Economic Package for Seychelles.

Modi said India envisions an Indian Ocean where maritime security is ensured alongside economic prosperity and where partnership is not based on size, but on mutual respect and trust.

Seychelles President Patrick Herminie said maritime security in the Indian Ocean region remained central to bilateral ties, with the two countries reaffirming their commitment to counter piracy, drug trafficking, illegal fishing and cross-border crime. 

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