A story that went viral a few days ago involved an Indian woman being detained at an airport somewhere in Europe for holding what officials thought was a fake vaccination certificate. According to her version of how events unfolded, the officials were surprised that her certificate carried a photograph not of herself—which, though unusual, would have been acceptable—but a photograph of her country’s Prime Minister instead. They couldn’t believe the certificate was genuine.

I presume they let her go at some point, given that every Indian now holds a document featuring a photograph of the Prime Minister, but I was appalled at the abuse directed towards her by India’s many patriots working part-time on Facebook and Twitter. They pointed out that the photograph was essential because it served as a constant reminder that she had been vaccinated on account of the Prime Minister’s existence alone. He may not have discovered the vaccine, procured it using his own money, played any role in acquiring it from vendors, or actually administered it, but they wanted her to know that he was responsible for its presence in her bloodstream, nonetheless. It was him, not medical science, that had saved her life.