Many Indian airlines spend more on publicity than on passenger safety: Survey
The survey, which garnered over 44,000 responses from citizens across 322 districts, found that 76 per cent of respondents felt that many airlines were spending more on marketing campaigns than ensuring flight safety.
Of the 26,696 people who responded to the question on publicity versus safety, 43 per cent said 'yes, all of them' while 33 per cent said 'yes, some of them.' Only 11 per cent believed no airline was prioritising publicity over safety, while 13 per cent gave no definitive answer.
The findings come in the wake of a string of recent aviation incidents involving several Indian carriers, including Air India and SpiceJet.
Last month, a Tata Group-operated Air India Boeing 787-8 aircraft crashed shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad en route to London Gatwick, killing 241 of the 242 passengers and 19 people on the ground. The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) is currently probing the cause of the tragedy and has submitted a preliminary report.
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Hindustan Times
an hour ago
- Hindustan Times
Migrant exodus sparks political storm in Gurugram
A police verification drive targeting undocumented immigrants in Gurugram has led to the departure of hundreds of Bengali-speaking migrant families and triggered a political controversy, with opposition leaders accusing the Haryana government of communal bias. A migrant worker settlement in South City 2, in Gurugram Sector 47 near Park Hospital, on Friday. (Parveen Kumar/HT Photo) The drive, aimed at identifying undocumented immigrants, has reportedly led to 300–400 families leaving shanty settlements, particularly around South City 2, amid fears of detention and harassment. 'Even those with Aadhaar and voter cards are being detained. Police arrive without warning and take people away. Some were even beaten,' a migrant resident claimed, requesting not to be named. 'We didn't come here to break the law—we came to work hard and feed our families,' said Imran Ali, a 32-year-old construction worker from Murshidabad, who left Gurugram last week and is now staying with a cousin in Delhi's Seelampur. 'Police came to our settlement late at night. Even though I showed my Aadhaar card, they said it needed to be verified in Bengal. My wife got scared, packed our things, and we left that same night. I lost my job, and we are now surviving on whatever little savings I had. I don't know when we will go back—or if we even can.' Congress MLA Aftab Ahmed, a senior Meo community leader, alleged the drive is 'unfairly singling out Muslim residents' and 'damaging Gurugram's secular fabric and global image.' He said even individuals with valid documents have been detained and forced to leave. 'This campaign… has turned into a tool for communal victimisation,' Ahmed said, adding he has raised the issue with the state DGP and Gurugram Commissioner of Police, who assured him 'no legitimate Indian citizen will be harassed.' Chief minister Nayab Singh Saini defended the campaign, declaring, 'There is no place for Bangladeshi infiltrators in Haryana; they are being removed as swiftly as possible.' He added, 'No compromise against India's unity, sovereignty, and Constitution is acceptable... the nation's interest will always be paramount.' In response, West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee slammed the drive, calling it 'linguistic terror' and alleging that Bengali-speaking workers are being deported without proper checks. 'I have been increasingly receiving reports of detentions and atrocities… West Bengal Police is receiving requests from Haryana Police for identity verification,' she said, citing Human Rights Watch (HRW) reports accusing BJP-ruled states of systematic deportations. HRW reports that this has been happening systematically in the BJP-ruled States of Assam, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Odisha and Delhi, following a directive by the Ministry of Home, Government of India. Shame!! Now, even international human rights organisations have started taking note of the linguistic terrorism unleashed in India. This must stop at once!!' the CM has been attacking the BJP-led Centre, saying that the detention of hundreds of Bengali speaking migrant workers across BJP-governed states was 'a language war and linguistic terrorism' waged on Bengal and its people. TMC MP Samirul Islam backed Banerjee, accusing BJP-led states of 'hiding data on Bengali-speaking migrants' and turning 'national security into a tool of discrimination.' 'No illegal immigrant will be allowed to stay in Haryana. The verification drive is being conducted strictly within the legal framework to ensure the safety and security of all citizens,' said Arvind Saini, media in-charge of BJP Haryana. 'The Congress is raising baseless concerns because their traditional vote bank is being affected. This is not about religion or language—it's about national interest and lawful residency.' Senior Congress leader Pankaj Dawar said many of these families have been in Gurugram for over two decades as domestic workers and labourers. 'They consider Gurugram their home. But now, their lives have been thrown into chaos,' he said. Haryana Police, however, denied any communal angle. 'The process is based on intelligence inputs and legal procedure,' said Gurugram police spokesperson Sandeep Kumar. 'We are ensuring that no Indian citizen is harassed.' As the controversy deepens, the verification campaign has become a flashpoint in the larger political discourse around migration, minority rights, and state power, according to opposing political leaders. 'The situation is not just a local law enforcement issue anymore,' Ahmed said. 'It's a test of how inclusive and just we remain as a society.'
Time of India
2 hours ago
- Time of India
‘Atrocious' linguistic terror unleashed by BJP: CM before ‘Bhasha Andolan'
Kolkata: Sharing a 47-second video from July 26, of a migrant from Malda narrating the injuries Delhi Police inflicted on his one-year-old child and wife, CM Mamata Banerjee on Sunday said the linguistic terror unleashed by BJP against Bengali-speakers was "atrocious" and "terrible". The CM will lead a statewide 'Bhasa Andolan' from Birbhum on Monday. Posting the video on X, Banerjee said: "Atrocious! Terrible! See how Delhi police brutally beat up a kid and his mother, members of a migrant family from Malda's Chanchal. See how even a child is not spared from the cruelty of violence in the regime of linguistic terror unleashed by BJP in the country against the Bengalis! Where are they taking our country now?" Farida Biwi, who lives in Delhi's Geeta Colony, told TOI over the phone that the video was of her son's wife and child. "They were detained by Delhi Police despite showing EPIC, Aadhaar and ration cards. We have been working in Delhi for the past six years. We are Indian, not Bangladeshi. They are deliberately targeting Bengali-speaking Muslims." You Can Also Check: Kolkata AQI | Weather in Kolkata | Bank Holidays in Kolkata | Public Holidays in Kolkata Banerjee is expected to reach Birbhum late on Sunday. Ahead of the protests, Trinamool spokesperson Kunal Ghosh told reporters: "The videos reaching our party leaders (from migrants facing harassment) are nothing short of medieval brutality. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like This Simple Online Trick Makes Me $100 Every Day Try Now Undo This is hellish torture. In one video that has reached me, the person narrating his ordeal says he has been working in Haryana for the past two decades. People are being subjected to torture, denying them the right to show their valid documents and illegally packed off to detention centres without notices. " Ghosh said: "What is worrisome is that even Matuas and Rajbanshis are being targeted by BJP-governed states. BJP has unleashed an atmosphere of terror. How can speaking Bengali — a constitutionally scheduled language — be a crime?" Responding to BJP's claims that the drive was meant to flush out illegal Bangladeshis and Rohingya, Ghosh said: "Rohingya have a different geo-political context. It involves Myanmar, Delhi (Centre) and the United Nations. And if you talk of illegal Bangladeshis, whose task is to stop them? The answer is BSF. For either, why are Bengali-speaking Indian citizens being harassed even when they are showing legally accepted documents. " State finance minister Chandrima Bhattacharya also launched a blistering attack on the Centre, accusing it of carrying out a "systematic and shameless assault" on Bengali identity across the country. "BJP-run states have turned the harassment of Bengalis into a strategy. But Bengal—and the global Bengali diaspora—will resist this with dignity and strength," she said. "The Centre will be held accountable at the right time. Bengal has never insulted people from neighbouring states like Assam, Odisha, Bihar or Jharkhand. Yet, across the country, Bengalis are being humiliated, attacked and even killed—simply because they speak Bengali. Bengal knows how to respond," Bhattacharya added.
Hindustan Times
4 hours ago
- Hindustan Times
Indian woman promised beauty parlour job in Dubai, arrested after drugs found in baggage: Report
Things took a drastic turn for 24-year-old Ameena Begum from Hyderabad when she flew to Dubai for a job but got arrested and jailed for possessing illegal drugs, reported India Today. In the letter, Ameena Begum's mother has claimed that her daughter called them up from jail.(Representational/X/ A native of Konda Reddy Guda area in Hyderabad's Kishan Bagh, Ameena reportedly went to Dubai after she was offered a job at a beauty parlour by a local travel agent. She left on May 18, 2025, the report added. Ameena's family writes to MEA However, she was arrested when she arrived at the Dubai airport, allegedly for carrying a bag that had illegal drugs, according to her mother Sultana Begum. The latter has also written to the Minister of External Affairs S Jaishankar, seeking his urgent invention to secure her release. Also read: Indian man denied meal on Dubai flight? Qatar woman's viral post calls for kindness In the letter, Sultana Begum has claimed that her daughter called them up from jail. She added that Ameena did not know that one of the bags she was carrying had drugs and that she was asked to hand that bag over to someone in Dubai. She claims that her daughter is innocent. Ameena's family has also sought legal help from the Indian Embassy in Abu Dhabi and the Indian Consulate in Dubai and has urged them to take swift action to get her out of jail. Also read: 'Peeche jao': Harrowing Haridwar stampede video captures chaos; death toll mounts to 8 'Son crying too much' Ameena's family is also concerned for her 5-year-old son, who, according to the letter, is reportedly ill since his mother went away. 'He is crying too much for his mother and has fallen sick,' the letter said, according to the report. Ameena's family also alleges that drugs may have been put in her luggage without her knowledge to use her as a drug carrier. They have also demanded a probe into the agent who arranged that job for Ameena.
