Indian-origin millionaire Sabeer Bhatia called out for 'insensitive' tweet on Air India crash: 'What's wrong with you?'
As India mourned one of its worst aviation disasters in a decade, Indian-origin millionaire and Hotmail co-founder Sabeer Bhatia faced sharp criticism for a social media post that many described as 'insensitive' and 'ill-timed.' On Thursday afternoon, an Air India Dreamliner bound for London crashed just minutes after taking off from Ahmedabad, killing 241 of the 242 passengers and crew members on board.
(Also read: '415 million Indians survive on ₹265/day': Hotmail co-founder Sabeer Bhatia's scathing attack prompts brutal backlash)
In the aftermath, Bhatia took to X (formerly Twitter) and posted,
"Do you really think the 4th largest economy in the world should still be having plane crashes due to systemic failures? Time to question what truly makes a nation great."
Check out the post here:
The post went viral, clocking over 2 million views and drawing nearly 3,600 comments — a vast majority of them slamming the entrepreneur for politicising a national tragedy.
Social media users criticised the timing, tone, and framing of Bhatia's comment. One user responded, 'Such an insensitive comment. Recently the US had a plane crash. Were you also this callous then?' Another user posted, 'You're mocking your own country while families haven't even identified the bodies yet. What grudge do you hold against India?'
Several pointed out the global nature of aviation incidents, with one user referencing the recent Potomac River mid-air collision in the United States: 'Was that a systemic failure too? Or is this scrutiny reserved only for India?'
'Plane crashes happen in every country. Air travel is still statistically the safest mode of transport. Your comment was unnecessary and disgraceful,' read another reaction. One user bluntly stated, 'You're losing every shred of respect. Playing politics during a national tragedy reveals your true agenda. Shameful.'
(Also read: 'You had no role in India's progress': Mohandas Pai shreds Indian-American millionaire over quality of life remarks)
Others accused Bhatia of lacking empathy. 'This isn't about economy or systems. 241 people have died. Let the nation grieve,' one post said. Another urged him to 'go and check the crash records of the country you live in now before pointing fingers.'
The Air India aircraft crashed into a medical college hostel shortly after takeoff, igniting a massive blaze. Former Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani was among the victims, BJP's state president confirmed.
Remarkably, one British national—40-year-old Vishwash Kumar Ramesh—survived. Rescued by locals, he was found limping near the wreckage and remains hospitalised in stable condition.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Economic Times
12 minutes ago
- Economic Times
Employee gets appraisal after one year but gets shock of his life when he looks at his salary
A deeply disillusioned professional took to Reddit's Indian Workplace community to vent about a distressing experience that left them emotionally shattered and financially frustrated. Their warning was simple yet powerful—avoid working for family-owned businesses, particularly the kind often called " Lala companies ," where decisions are often arbitrary and heavily skewed in favor of the individual had been employed at such a firm for over a year, patiently enduring difficult circumstances with the hope that annual appraisal season might bring some reward. When the time finally arrived, the increase they received was a meager Rs 1,200. Although clearly underwhelming, they tried to find solace in the idea that any increment, however small, was still progress. They convinced themselves to stay optimistic, choosing to focus on the fact that at least their salary was technically on the what followed turned that small relief into utter disappointment. It came to light that the company had failed to deduct Provident Fund (PF) contributions for years. Instead of acknowledging their error or offering a fair solution, management decided to retroactively deduct Rs 1,800 from the employee's next paycheck to "rectify" the mistake. With the increment at Rs 1,200 and the deduction being ₹1,800, the net impact on the new salary was a decrease of Rs 600. What was supposed to be an appraisal turned into a financial setback , making the situation feel both absurd and deeply post quickly gained traction on Reddit, resonating with many others who had experienced similar forms of exploitation. Numerous users chimed in with their own horror stories and harsh critiques of such workplaces. One commenter was shocked by the insultingly low increment and urged the original poster to start searching for a new job immediately, calling such firms abusive and user shared their ordeal of being offered a job with absolutely no salary hike and even having ₹1,000 held back from each monthly payment, to be paid out only after a year. Yet another added that their current position in a mid-sized pharmaceutical company—also run in a similar family-dominated manner—was plagued by incompetent leadership. Their manager, described as toxic and intellectually lacking, maintained job security simply because of a long-standing relationship with the owner, rather than actual merit.
Hindustan Times
16 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
'Prince William's billionaire friend': How US, UK media reported Karisma Kapoor's ex-husband Sanjay Kapur's death
To Bollywood audiences, Sunjay Kapur, who died on Thursday, may have been Karisma Kapoor's ex-husband, but to the wider international community, he was much more - an industrialist, a polo player, and a friend of royalty. The international media also reported Sunjay's death, but their focus was largely on his businesses and links to royalty, rather than the Bollywood connection. (Also read: Sunjay Kapur's funeral to be held in Delhi, but legal hurdle in getting body back to India) Sunjay Kapur died after suffering a heart attack while he was in the middle of a polo match in London on Thursday. The 53-year-old was a regular in the polo circles of the UK, which is how he came to be associated with Prince William. The Prince of Wales has been described as a friend of the late businessman. The New York Post's headline about Sunjay's death read: "Prince William's billionaire pal Sunjay Kapur dead after swallowing bee during polo match". People Magazine also focused on Sunjay's friendship with William and the bizarre reported nature of his death. "Prince William's friend dies after swallowing a bee at Windsor polo match," read their headline. The New York Times, however, highlighted his marriage to Karisma. Their headline read: "Sunjay Kapur, businessman and ex-husband of Bollywood star, dies at 53." Most British publications also mentioned Prince William in their reportage of the billionaire businessman's death. "Billionaire friend of Prince William dies from heart attack after 'swallowing a bee'," wrote the Daily Mail. Similarly, the Telegraph reported, "Billionaire friend of Prince of Wales dies after 'swallowing a bee'." Sunjay Kapur was the chairman of auto components maker Sona Comstar. After taking over as managing director of the company after his father's death in 2015, Sunjay spearheaded its expansion into China, Mexico, Serbia and the U.S. As per Bloomberg, Sona Comstar has a market cap of ₹31000 crore (nearly $4 billion). According to Forbes, Sunjay Kapur had a net worth of $1.2 billion ( ₹10300 crore) at the time of his death. The London-based Indian business tycoon had been married to Karisma Kapoor from 2003-16. The two have two children. Sunjay was previously married to fashion designer and stylist and Nandita Mahtani from 1996-2000. Since 2017, he had been married to model-turned-actor Priya Sachdev, with whom he had a son.
Indian Express
16 minutes ago
- Indian Express
33 ground victims of Air India crash will also get Rs 1 crore compensation from Tatas
While the death toll in the Air India Dreamliner crash in Ahmedabad touched 274 as of Saturday, 33 people who died on the ground will also get the compensation announced by the Tata group. According to the Tata group, people who died on the ground will be eligible for the Rs one crore compensation and the Tatas will cover the medical expenses of those who were injured in the crash. They will make sure that injured individuals receive all the care and support they need. People who died and were injured in the crash are believed to include doctors, students, hospital staff and local residents from the Meghaninagar area, which is close to the airport. The Tatas will provide support in the reconstruction of the B J Medical's hostel, which was hit and badly damaged in the Dreamliner crash. The death of 241 passengers and crew were confirmed dead on board the plane. There is one survivor of the crash. The remaining 33 victims were likely individuals present on the campus of Ahmedabad's BJ Medical College at the time of the crash. When asked whether the Tatas will provide any assistance beyond the financial compensation like offering jobs to the next of kin, an official said, 'nothing has been decided at the moment. We are still assessing the situation and investigation has begun.' Apart from Rs one crore announced by the Tatas, passengers who died in the crash will also get compensation of nearly Rs 1.5 crore from insurance companies. The primary insurers for the Air India policy are: Tata AIG General Insurance (lead insurer with over 40 per cent share), ICICI Lombard General Insurance, New India Assurance and other PSU general insurers. The final bill will be taken by the reinsurers led by AIG.
