As India grappled with the aftermath of one of its most devastating aviation disasters in recent memory, Indian-origin entrepreneur and Hotmail co-founder Sabeer Bhatia came under intense criticism for a social media post that many users described as “insensitive” and “ill-timed”.
On Thursday afternoon, an Air India Dreamliner flight bound for London crashed minutes after taking off from Ahmedabad, ploughing into a medical college hostel and igniting a massive blaze. The crash claimed 241 lives out of the 242 passengers and crew members on board.
Among the deceased was former Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani, a senior BJP leader confirmed. Miraculously, one British national — 40-year-old Vishwash Kumar Ramesh — survived the crash and was discovered limping near the wreckage. He was rescued by locals and remains hospitalised in stable condition.
In the immediate aftermath of the tragedy, Bhatia took to social media platform 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.”
The post quickly went viral, garnering over 2 million views and a significant portion of users condemned the timing, tone, and perceived insensitivity of the entrepreneur’s remarks.
Social media users widely criticised Bhatia’s comment, accusing him of using a national tragedy to make a political statement. 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 users pointed out the global prevalence of aviation accidents and questioned the logic behind Bhatia’s framing of the incident as evidence of systemic national failure.
“Plane crashes happen in every country. Air travel is still statistically the safest mode of transport. Your comment was unnecessary and disgraceful,” read one post.
Another user referenced the recent Potomac River mid-air collision in the United States, asking,
“Was that a systemic failure too? Or is this scrutiny reserved only for India?”
The backlash continued with stronger rebukes. One user wrote, “You’re losing every shred of respect. Playing politics during a national tragedy reveals your true agenda. Shameful.”
Others accused the tech entrepreneur of lacking empathy. “This isn’t about economy or systems. 241 people have died. Let the nation grieve,” one user posted.
Another urged him to “go and check the crash records of the country you live in now before pointing fingers.”
Facing the growing backlash, Sabeer Bhatia issued a clarification through a follow-up post, defending his original statement while asserting that his intentions were being misunderstood.
“Of course I’m deeply saddened and devastated by the loss of life. But that distracts from the real question: Why did it happen and what can we do as a society to prevent it from ever happening again?”
Bhatia addressed the vitriolic nature of the responses to his post: “In all the angry replies I’m getting, people are responding as if their own families were on the plane. Telling me to put my phone down. So much hate, so much emotion. Where’s the logic? Do you really go through life like it’s a Bollywood movie?”
He also took aim at those accusing him of harbouring a “colonial mindset”: “In the past few days of vitriolic backlash, I keep hearing the term ‘colonial mindset’ — as if the West looks down on India. That’s simply untrue. What shocks people in the West isn’t India — it’s the poor decisions of its leaders. If anything, that is the real colonial hangover.”
Bhatia insisted that his criticism was directed not at the victims, but at the institutional failures that contributed to the crash:
“I think people are getting their emotions mixed up. I am very sensitive to the people who died and their loved ones and very insensitive to the system that caused this to happen. The system must be fixed.”
Despite the widespread backlash and calls for a formal apology, Bhatia has not yet removed the original post.
The Air India crash — one of the deadliest the country has witnessed in over a decade — has plunged the nation into mourning. Investigation teams are now probing the cause of the crash and identifying victims.
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