No, this isn’t world’s ‘tallest flag’ hoisted at Wagah border

A video of a massive Indian flag has been causing quite a stir on social media. A few users who shared it recently claimed, “The new Indian flag at the Wagah border is 360 feet tall. It cost Rs. 3.5 crores, took 55 tons of steel to install, and Rs. 60 lakh were paid to hire a crane to install the pole. This flag has a width of 120 feet and a height of 80 feet. The flagpole is 360 feet tall. This is a world record.”

The new Indian Flag at Wagha Border:360 ft high cost 3.5crore,55 tonnes of steel is used,The flag is 120ft in width &80ft in height.Flag-pole is360 ft high 12flags are kept in spare.This is a world record.
The flag-raising is admirable for every Indian
Proud to be an Indian🚩🙏 pic.twitter.com/4XBB7PnYFZ

— Rajesh 🚩हिंदू तितुका मेळवावा,राष्ट्रधर्म वाढवावा (@rajrajsi) November 8, 2020

Similarly, the clip is being shared widely with Hindi and English captions on Facebook.

In fact, this video has gone viral several times since 2016 with the same claim. Along with Facebook and Twitter, the claim is also widespread on YouTube. (First post, second post)

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Fact-check

A keyword search ‘huge Indian flag’ on YouTube led us to videos resembling the viral clip. One Ajay Putti uploaded a video of the flag hoisting of a large tricolour. The video description stated that this flag was hoisted at Sanjeevaiah Park in Hyderabad to mark the second foundation day of Telangana. The user mentioned that the flag was tied to a 291-foot tall mast and is the largest and tallest flag of India. This video was uploaded on July 27, 2016.

Based on this, we performed a keyword search again and found a fact-check video by Factly dated September 8, which included another video. According to the report, these visuals and the viral video were filmed at the same event. Both were taken from different angles and feature the same background music playing on the occasion. This video was uploaded on June 2, 2016, i.e., the day of flag hoisting. Along with this, the title of the video is, “CM KCR Hoists Largest Indian Biggest Flag in Hyderabad.” A closer look confirms that the viral video and this clip were indeed filmed at the same location.

Below is a comparison of the viral clip and the one shot from a different angle.

1. Flags that can be seen in both videos.

2. The same red stage and field are seen in both videos.

3. A white SUV car appears in the viral video at the 1:06 mark and in the other video at the 24 second mark.

Apart from this, we found news reports covering the flag hoisting event at the second foundation day of Telangana including video stories by NDTV and Hindustan Times. They mention that India’s tallest tricolour was hoisted in Hyderabad on the occasion of Telangana Day on June 2. NDTV’s video report dated June 2, 2016, can be watched below.

They also report that this flag is 290 feet tall.

Several social media users have been sharing a video of a flag hoisting for months, claiming that the world’s tallest flag has been hoisted on the Wagah border. However, this is false. The flag seen in the video was not hoisted at the Wagah border but in Hyderabad to mark Telangana’s second foundation day. At the time, it was the tallest flag of India, not the tallest flag in the world.

However, a year later, India’s tallest flag was indeed hoisted in March 2017 at the Wagah border. India Today was among the news outlets that covered the event. The story also stated that Pakistan objected to the hoisting and accused India of spying. The report mentions that it costed Rs 3.5 crores to build and the flagpole weighed 55 tons. However, the flag could not survive due to strong winds. Subsequently on August 13, 2017, a day before Pakistan’s Independence Day, a 360-foot tall flag was again hoisted at the Wagah border. ANI covered the event and quoted an official who revealed that the flag was 360 feet tall, 90 feet long, and 60 feet wide.

The flag hoisted in March was 120 feet in length and 80 feet in width.

Since the 2016 flag hoisting in Hyderabad, a 360-foot tall flag was hoisted at the Wagah border in 2017, and a 361-foot tall flag at Belgaum, Karnataka in 2018. Currently, the world’s tallest national flag is in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia at a height of 561 feet.