Vijay Rupani who died in Air India crash was Gujarat's calm force in crisis: Know all about state's 16th Chief Minister
Synopsis
Vijay Rupani, former Gujarat CM, tragically died in an Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad. Known for his calm nature and strong leadership, Rupani, 68, served as chief minister from 2016 to 2021, guiding Gujarat through its post-Covid recovery.
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Hindustan Times
28 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
Grief, grace, and gratitude – in a time of tragedy
In this week of absolute tragedy, it is a moment for us to stand in solidarity with Air India. I am writing this in Vienna, sitting on the tarmac of the airport, where our Air India flight from Newark to New Delhi has been diverted, along with several others because of Israel's overnight strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities. The aviation challenge — seven Air India flights have been diverted to Vienna alone — has been necessitated because the Iran airspace is closed and the Pakistan airspace has been closed since Operation Sindoor. The aircraft needs more fuel for this unforecastable geopolitical development and a new flight path to take us home. Captain Sunil Simon, crew members Suresh, Khushboo, among others are all well beyond their duty hours. But no one has shown a single sign of irritability or strain. That this has happened hours after the horrific crash of London-bound Air India 171, less than a minute after take-off, makes this stellar professionalism even more remarkable. Imagine, operating in the traumatic overhang of losing your colleagues and friends to an air crash. Consider what the last few hours have been like for the airline staff to have to remain stoic, even smiling, in the immediate aftermath of a massive personal tragedy. And now this latest strain on their emotions and mental strength. Yet, how many of us will take a moment to appreciate the airline. If anything, it's something of a lazy habit for many Indians to take potshots at the airline, even while choosing it when flying elderly parents abroad, because they know fully well that western airlines will never offer that personal touch. The same people would not even whisper a protest in the face of borderline racism on some airlines. Think about the crash and the sweeping armchair commentary that followed in sections of social media. One publicity-seeker went from studio to studio cribbing about how the air conditioning had not worked well on the Delhi-Ahmedabad leg of the plane that crashed, making an absolutely inaccurate link to the tragedy. And he was allowed to do so. Others did not hesitate to make generalisations about the airline or the pilot in command. I am no aviation expert but the alacrity with which some sought to blame pilot Captain Sumeet Sabharwal and his co-pilot Captain Clive Kunder, was ghoulish and frankly, tone deaf and callous. We put a timer on the CCTV footage of the crash to show how Captain Sabharwal had only 33 seconds in which to make an intervention. On the CCTV footage you can see the plane take off smoothly and by the clock, half a minute later, it descends, erupting into an orange ball of fire on impact. Those who really understand aviation and planes point out that when you do not even have a whole minute to respond, Captain Sabharwal did the only thing he could. He made a Mayday distress call to the air traffic controller. In other crashes, where an engine has failed, because the plane is already cruising, the pilot has been able to bring it down, let's say on water or a safe patch. Here, the pilot was not able to lift the plane to a higher altitude; he clearly seemed to lose power immediately after take-off and he literally had no options. Think for a moment of that man at the helm of a split-second response before his life and the lives of the passengers at the back, literally went up in smoke. Think of how a universe can be upended in 32 seconds. And at least then, some of us might be less cavalier and casual in our commentary. Aerospace engineering expert Aditya Paranjape, a professor at Monash University, told me that 'prima facie... there is no human error. That the plane was able to take off smoothly shows the configurations entered by the pilots were accurate.' He believes, like many other experts I spoke with, that both engines appear to have failed, however rare that may be. While there may be questions about maintenance, surely there should be many sharp questions for Boeing, the manufacturer of the 787 Dreamliner that went down in Ahmedabad. Especially if the investigation reveals that both engines did, in fact, collapse on take-off. This would be the time to go back to the appearance of the Boeing CEO before a US Senate Panel. He actually admitted to 'serious safety missteps'. This hearing took place after the door of an Alaskan Airlines 737-Max blew out. Isn't he the one playing with lives? Shouldn't some of our contempt and anger be directed at corporate behemoths like Boeing? Over the years, there have been management issues with Air India. When the airline was government-owned (across parties) it was not able to unshackle itself from a sarkari subculture. When the ill-conceived and unplanned merger of Indian Airlines and Air India took place under the UPA government, the airline took a hit. And now that the Tatas have given Air India a new beginning, its staff — pilots and crew — should not be shackled by capitalist corporate norms. Not when it comes to a profession that literally can be about life and death. On the plane just now — we are still on the ground a few hours later — a huge round of applause went up when the Captain announced that the crew had agreed to work well beyond their stipulated shifts and in what is meant to be their rest period (with official dispensation) to try and get us all home. As families across India mourn — a father who lost both his daughters, a husband who came home with his wife's ashes, a couple who posted a last selfie only to go down with the plane — the rest of us should show humility, and some gratitude and grace. Barkha Dutt is an award-winning journalist and author. The views expressed are personal.
Hindustan Times
28 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
British high commissioner meets PM Modi in Ahmedabad over plane crash
British high commissioner to India Lindy Cameron met Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Ahmedabad on Friday and said the two countries were working together to establish the facts of the Air India plane crash that left 265 people dead, including 52 UK residents. According to Air India, there were 53 British nationals on the London-bound Air India plane, a Boeing 787 Dreamliner, which crashed into a medical college complex moments after taking off from the Ahmedabad airport on Thursday afternoon. At least 265 people on board (241 passengers and crew) and on the ground were killed in the tragedy. One passenger, a British citizen, miraculously survived. "I met with Prime Minister @narendramodi this morning. We shared condolences in the face of this tragic accident, and I offered my thanks for the work of tireless first responders here in Ahmedabad. The UK and India are working together to establish the facts," Cameron said in the post on X. Prime Minister Modi visited the crash site and also met the sole survivor and injured victims at the civil hospital here. "We stand ready to support the families and friends of affected British Nationals - please consult our Travel Advice for updates and contact us on the 24/7 consular helpline," she said. The senior diplomat said on Thursday she and her team visited the accident site and hospital in Ahmedabad. "My team and I have visited the crash site and hospital in Ahmedabad. Colleagues in the UK & India are working around the clock to gather information and support British nationals affected," she said in a post on Thursday. On Friday, she visited Akshardham Temple in the Gujarat capital Gandhinagar. "It was a sad privilege to offer my prayers at Swaminarayan Akshardham temple in Gandhinagar today. My thoughts are with the families, friends and loved ones of all those impacted by the devastating plane crash that happened yesterday, particularly communities here in Gujarat and back in the UK," Cameron said in another X post.
The Hindu
29 minutes ago
- The Hindu
Trinamool seeks transparent probe into Ahmedabad plane crash
The Trinamool Congress has called for a 'thorough, transparent, and unbiased investigation' into the crash of Air India flight AI171, while condemning the emergence of what it described as conspiracy theories following the tragedy. The aircraft, bound for London from Ahmedabad, crashed shortly after take-off on the afternoon of June 12, resulting in the deaths of nearly all passengers and crew members. As per current reports, only one passenger is known to have survived. The aircraft also claimed several lives on the ground after it crashed into a residential area near the runway. 'We need a thorough and unbiased investigation of the plane accident… it is not right to float theories such as bird hit and create a perception even before a proper investigation is conducted,' Trinamool Congress spokesperson Kunal Ghosh said on Friday (June 13, 2025). Referring to previous transport-related incidents during the Bharatiya Janata Party-led government's tenure, Mr. Ghosh said the present state of passenger safety and service raises concerns. 'This aircraft travelled from Paris to Delhi, then from Delhi to Ahmedabad, smoothly. Then what happened? Was the aircraft not properly maintained? To discern this, we need a proper investigation by proper specialists and authorities,' he said.
