In the wake of the tragic Ahmedabad plane crash that claimed 242 lives, including former Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani, some individuals have chosen to focus on personal anecdotes rather than the gravity of the situation.
One such case is that of a passenger who flew on the same Air India aircraft earlier that day and is now using the tragedy as a platform for attention.
Akash Vatsa, who had travelled from Delhi to Ahmedabad on the ill-fated Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner just hours before the crash, posted a video highlighting minor malfunctions like non-functional air conditioning and entertainment systems.
While operational issues on flights should not be dismissed, using a mass-casualty event to amplify personal grievances reeks of insensitivity and opportunism.
Social media has unfortunately become a space where tragedies are often exploited for clout. In this case, drawing a direct line between malfunctioning call lights and an aviation disaster without verified technical correlation is misleading and irresponsible.
Vatsa’s video, while perhaps initially well-intentioned, has quickly shifted from a consumer complaint to a spectacle. This was not a situation where a few uncomfortable hours of air travel can be equated with the horrific final moments of those on board when the aircraft descended fatally and sent a mayday call that went unanswered.
Turning technical complaints into a spotlight moment cheapens the real tragedy. There is a time to hold airlines accountable and a time to show restraint.
This moment calls for empathy, not opportunism. Public discourse around such disasters should be rooted in facts, not sensationalism.
Any tragedy these days and there are people posting nonsense for likes and views. This man thinks AC and in flight entertainment not working is somewhat related to the plane crash https://t.co/RXhlje3FoX
— Deepika Narayan Bhardwaj (@DeepikaBhardwaj) June 12, 2025
