Tea, food and crowd control—RSS cadres aid families, relief work after Air India plane crash
'I have dropped the message on our WhatsApp group and also called individually to ask for support for our people who suffered due to the plane crash,' said Parikh as he stood outside the post-mortem section of Civil Hospital, Ahmedabad. 'In tough times, RSS always helps people and is at the forefront.'
The local RSS unit in the Karnavati area—where Dr Hedgewar Bhavan, the headquarters of RSS Ahmedabad unit is also located—gathered quickly to mobilise their cadres. Mahanagar Karyavah of RSS Karnavati Hardik Parikh was busy calling up colleagues to bring everyone together.
Ahmedabad: Just half an hour after Air India flight 171 crashed in Ahmedabad's densely populated Meghaninagar area Thursday, scores of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) cadres reached the spot to help with the rescue operation. Along with the local administration and rescue teams, they were spread out across the incident site, offering people support.
Outside the port-mortem room of BJ Medical College, around 200 RSS cadres in their typical dark brown trousers, white shirts and black caps, and carrying the traditional dand (bamboo stick) were busy controlling the crowd.
'We have deployed mostly taruns (adults) who can actively work on the ground. It's our duty to serve society,' said Parikh, instructing the cadres. Gujarat has for decades been an RSS stronghold.
The Air India aircraft crashed into a hostel building housing students of BJ Medical College and Civil Hospital. Air India said the plane was carrying 169 Indian nationals, 53 British nationals, 1 Canadian national, and 7 Portuguese nationals.
BJ Medical College—initially established in 1871 as Ahmedabad Medical School, and which in 1946 became BJ Medical College—is a government institute under the Health and Family Welfare Department of the Gujarat government. It is the oldest medical college in the state and one of the oldest in India, according to its website.
At the hospital, RSS cadres were also seen providing food to the victims' families. 'We are providing tea, biscuits and khichdi. Whoever wants to eat can take it,' said Parikh, adding that swayamsevaks were working in shifts to aid in relief work.
'Those who work from afternoon to evening have left for their homes and a fresh batch of people have taken control,' he added. 'We are here for the next few days until the situation gets normal on the ground.'
(Edited by Gitanjali Das)
Also Read: Air India plane crash: Trump offers India support, US probe team to assist in investigation
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
2 hours ago
- Time of India
Plane Tilted, We Were Saved By A Whisker: City Doc At Ground Zero Of Air India Crash
1 2 Nagpur: For young Dr Sushant Deshmukh, a normal day at his hostel near Ahmedabad airport turned into a haunting memory that will last a lifetime. "We see planes take off and land every day from here. It's routine. But on this tragic day, everything changed in seconds," said Dr Sushant, speaking to TOI over the phone from Ahmedabad. Sushant, who hails from Nagpur, is currently posted in Ahmedabad as part of his medical internship. On June 12, Air India Dreamliner flight AI 171 crashed into the hostel block adjacent to BJ Medical College, where many MBBS students and junior doctors like him stay. "If the plane had tilted just a bit differently, it would have crashed directly into the hospital building. The death toll would have been unimaginable," he said. "It was horrifying, but strangely, crashing into the hostel actually resulted in fewer casualties than it would have caused otherwise." While Dr Sushant is physically safe, the emotional impact runs deep. "Two of our hostel inmates have relatives who are still missing. Around 50 students from the adjacent intern hostel were injured. Three are still in the ICU. The rest are shaken, but safe." He confirmed that his own hostel, Atulyam, suffered fire damage and is currently sealed by authorities. "I've temporarily shifted to stay with local friends. Things are slowly getting back to normal. Hospital work is gradually resuming," he added. "My son is safe. But his heart is breaking for his fellow students," said Dr Sushama Deshmukh, a senior gynaecologist of Nagpur. "He called me and his father right after the incident. Both of us were in surgery. Later, when we called back, he told us he was safe. The national news break started later," said Dr Deshmukh. The Federation of All India Medical Association (FAIMA), in collaboration with the Resident Doctors' Association of BJ Medical College, has released an official update on the status of medical students affected by the crash. Dr Dhawal Gameti, vice president of FAIMA and president of RDA BJMC, shared that 50–60 MBBS students have been admitted, all in stable condition; 4–5 MBBS students remain missing, while 2–3 are in HDU or ICU; 3–4 relatives of super-specialist resident doctors are still untraceable, and the wife of one doctor was found dead. "Please do not panic," FAIMA urged in its statement. "We request everyone, including the general public, to donate blood wherever possible. Your contribution can help save lives." Follow more information on Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad here . Get real-time live updates on rescue operations and check full list of passengers onboard AI 171 .
Time of India
3 hours ago
- Time of India
Constable & her newborn die at Banjara Hills hospital; hubby alleges medical negligence
Hyderabad: A 33-year-old police constable and her newborn daughter died at a private hospital in Banjara Hills this week, prompting allegations of medical negligence and a criminal case against the attending gynaecologist and other staff. The deceased, Poludasu Vimala Kumari, was a constable at Khulsumpura police station. She was seven months pregnant with twins and was receiving treatment at a corporate hospital in Banjara Hills for severe bleeding and abdominal pain. At around 5.30am on June 10, the victim's husband, Sunkara Pradeep Kumar (34), a software engineer, rushed her to the hospital after the bleeding worsened. Pradeep alleged that, despite the emergency, hospital staff insisted on an advance payment of 1 lakh — even though the family is covered under the state's Arogya Bhadratha scheme — and refused to begin treatment until the amount was deposited. Doctors informed the family at 12.30pm that one of the twins had died in the womb. Surgery was performed at 6am on June 11. During the procedure, staff handed Pradeep the body of his stillborn baby girl and informed him that the surviving male infant was in a critical condition in the neonatal ICU. Subsequently, Pradeep was busy with the burial of his daughter until the evening, and at around 7.30pm, doctors announced that Vimala had also succumbed while undergoing treatment. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Urologists: Men With ED - Try This Tonight health-paradise Learn More Undo In his police complaint, Pradeep blamed the consultant gynaecologist and the hospital administration for the deaths, alleging delayed intervention and negligent post-operative monitoring. Based on his complaint, a case was registered under Section 106(1) (causing death due to negligence) of the BNS against the gynaecologist, hospital staff, and others on Thursday. Police have sent the constable's body for autopsy. "The case file and the post-mortem report will be submitted for review by the medical board. Based on the board's findings, we will proceed further with the investigation," said Khairatabad sub-inspector Sandeep Reddy. Follow more information on Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad here . Get real-time live updates on rescue operations and check full list of passengers onboard AI 171 .
Time of India
3 hours ago
- Time of India
Last-minute travel change put 24-yr-old on fatal flight
Ahmedabad: Twenty-four-year-old Pinal Mistry from Anand was not supposed to be flying on the ill-fated Air India flight, but a change in her travel plan five days ago made her a victim of the worst single flight tragedy in India. Pinal moved to England a year ago after completing her hotel management studies and ran an online business. Her father, Suresh Mistry, said that Pinal was badly injured in a car crash last year when she went on a pilgrimage to Ujjain. "She lost her teeth and her treatment began in Ahmedabad. She came to India last month for her dental treatment. After getting 7-8 teeth implanted, she had to return to England. She booked her ticket for the June 7 flight, but a letter from her company delayed her departure, and she booked a ticket on this flight," he said. Mistry has a furniture business in Anand. His two children were living in England, with his son going there earlier on a student visa. He said, "We went to England for my son's convocation and stayed there with our children for 2-3 months. My daughter was supposed to come to India with us, but her dentist was not in Ahmedabad then. Therefore, her India trip got delayed." "We came to Ahmedabad to see her off. We received the message when we were about to reach home. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 임플란트 최대 할인 지원해드려요 임플란터 더 알아보기 Undo We returned to Ahmedabad and are now waiting for the DNA analysis. My son too is on his way to India," Mistry said. Mistry's DNA samples were collected at the BJ Medical College on Thursday evening, and he has been asked to wait for 72 hours for the result. During this long wait to take his daughter's body to his native town for cremation, Mistry ponders over each event that could have perhaps resulted in avoiding taking the June 12 flight. Follow more information on Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad here . Get real-time live updates on rescue operations and check full list of passengers onboard AI 171 .
