‘Please Stop': Cousin Of Air India Crash Victim Slams Social Media Exploitation

News18

12 hours ago

Last Updated:
Kuldeep Bhatt, cousin of Air India crash victim Komi Vyas, criticised influencers for exploiting the tragedy, urging dignity and respect for victims and families.
As India mourns the tragic Air India crash in Ahmedabad that claimed more than 250 lives, including those on ground, a grieving family member of one of the victims has lashed out at the insensitive exploitation of the disaster on social media, issuing a poignant and powerful appeal for dignity and respect in the face of unimaginable loss.
Kuldeep Bhatt, cousin of Komi Vyas, who tragically lost her life along with her husband Prateek Joshi and their three children in the crash, has strongly criticised social media influencers and content creators for exploiting the tragedy, spreading false information, and sharing manipulated images and videos of the victims and their families, all in a bid to gain likes and views.
'The biggest problem is that our family, as well as the families of 270 others, are going through mental trauma. And social media influencers, in an attempt to increase their views, likes and followers, are misusing crash videos, posting doctored visuals," Bhatt said.
Speaking about the specific instances where private family photographs were manipulated, Bhatt said, 'When Komi and others were leaving the flight, they took a selfie and posted it in our family group. Now that photo has gone viral. People have been generating videos from that photo. One such video has gone viral throughout India. It's AI-generated. The photo has been made into a fake video."
Bhatt highlighted another distressing incident involving a photo of the couple's daughter, Miraya, which has been widely circulated on social media, causing immense pain to the family. 'Since yesterday, a photo has been circulating on social media that is hurting us a lot. The girl is Miraya, such a lovely girl. Now we have no idea about the DNA sample. It has not matched. On social media, people are claiming her body is burned. There are even videos circulating that her cremation is taking place."
Bhatt appealed to content creators to act responsibly, emphasising that authorities and the family were willing to provide verified information and support. 'If you need information, reach out to the administration for official updates. We'll provide photos or videos if needed. But please, don't exploit this tragedy for your own entertainment or popularity," he requested.
Referring to another false claim circulating online, he said, 'One video being shared says it shows children's bodies. But the symbols seen in the video are coffins of Hadap and Mohan Chaudhary, written in Chitra Akshar. It's from some other incident. This is what we have to face – more mental trauma."
Bhatt condemned the insensitive and reckless content, questioning, 'What the hell are people doing?" He emphasised content creators' moral responsibility during a national tragedy and urged them to stop exploiting the incident, appealing for dignity and respect for the victims and their families. 'This is my request to you. Please stop all these things," he said.
Flight AI171, a tragic accident that occurred on Thursday afternoon, resulted in the loss of 241 lives onboard and several others on the ground when the aircraft, bound for London, crashed into a medical hostel and canteen complex in the Meghaninagar area shortly after takeoff. Among the victims were Komi Vyas, her husband Prateek Joshi, and their three children: twin sons Pradyut and Nakul, and daughter Miraya.