Citizens demand judicial probe into Ahmedabad plane crash, cite neglect of intern doctors, victims' families

By A Representative

A wide coalition of concerned citizens, academics, medical professionals, social activists, and public intellectuals has submitted a petition to the Prime Minister of India demanding an urgent judicial inquiry into the recent tragic airplane crash in Ahmedabad that claimed over 240 lives.

The petition, coordinated by the Movement for Secular Democracy (MSD), calls for a high-level judicial committee, headed by a retired High Court justice and comprising eminent citizens, to investigate the incident beyond the scope of the existing technical committee.

In their appeal, the petitioners noted that while nearly all passengers on board perished, the broader impact of the crash on the local population — particularly intern doctors living and working near the crash site — has not been adequately assessed or addressed. Several intern doctors, who lost family members and suffered injuries themselves, have reportedly been forced to vacate hostels without proper alternative housing or food arrangements. Many continue to work in hospitals treating victims, despite dealing with personal trauma.

The crash occurred in a densely populated part of the city that includes tea stalls, notary tables, military offices, and the Mental Hospital Compound — areas frequented by common citizens and hospital visitors. Victims include residents from Udaipur, Vadodara, Kheda, Mehsana, Ahmedabad, and Botad districts. According to the petition, most affected individuals are from economically weaker backgrounds and remain unaware of their rights or avenues for compensation.

“While the airline company has announced limited compensation, the government has yet to declare any comprehensive relief or rehabilitation package,” the petition states, emphasizing that monetary relief alone cannot compensate for the lives lost or the trauma endured.

The key demands of the signatories include:

- A judicial committee to investigate the full circumstances of the crash.

- A public hearing to document the testimonies of victims' families and affected citizens.

- Immediate provision of proper housing and food for displaced medical students and interns.

- Government compensation for deceased doctors, students, and civilians.

- A 24x7 toll-free helpline and grievance redressal mechanism for affected families.

- Free medical treatment for all injured.

- An official and transparent release of the total number of casualties and injuries.

Among the more than 100 signatories are well-known figures such as Supreme Court lawyer Prashant Bhushan, danseuse and activist Dr. Mallika Sarabhai, Editor Anuradha Bhasin of Kashmir Times, economist Dr. Indira Hirway, and human rights activist Fr. Cedric Prakash. The petition has also been endorsed by numerous professors, students, retired civil servants, poets, lawyers, doctors, and citizens from across Gujarat and India.

The petition has been copied to the President of India, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), National Medical Commission (NMC), and national media outlets.

The signatories have urged the government to respond swiftly and sensitively, warning that bureaucratic negligence risks compounding an already severe humanitarian crisis.

Comments

10,000 students deprived of classes as Ahmedabad school remains shut: MCC writes to Gujarat CM

By A Representative The Minority Coordination Committee (MCC) has written to Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, urging him to immediately reopen the Seventh Day Adventist School in Maninagar, Ahmedabad, where classes have been suspended for nearly two weeks. The MCC claims that the suspension, following a violent incident, violates the constitutional right to education of thousands of children.

Gujarat minority rights group seeks suspension of Botad police officials for brutal assault on minor

By A Representative A human rights group, the Minority Coordination Committee (MCC) Gujarat, has written to the Director General of Police (DGP), Gandhinagar, demanding the immediate suspension and criminal action against police personnel of Botad police station for allegedly brutally assaulting a minor boy from the Muslim community.

On Teachers’ Day, remembering Mother Teresa as the teacher of compassion

By Fr. Cedric Prakash SJ It is Teachers’ Day once again! Significantly, the day also marks the Feast of St. Teresa of Calcutta (still lovingly called Mother Teresa). In 2012, the United Nations, as a fitting tribute to her, declared this day the International Day of Charity. A day pregnant with meaning—one that we must celebrate as meaningfully as possible.

A comrade in culture and controversy: Yao Wenyuan’s revolutionary legacy

By Harsh Thakor* This year marks two important anniversaries in Chinese revolutionary history—the 20th death anniversary of Yao Wenyuan, and the 50th anniversary of his seminal essay "On the Social Basis of the Lin Biao Anti-Party Clique". These milestones invite reflection on the man whose pen ignited the first sparks of the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution and whose sharp ideological interventions left an indelible imprint on the political and cultural landscape of socialist China.

Targeted eviction of Bengali-speaking Muslims across Assam districts alleged

By A Representative A delegation led by prominent academic and civil rights leader Sandeep Pandey visited three districts in Assam—Goalpara, Dhubri, and Lakhimpur—between 2 and 4 September 2025 to meet families affected by recent demolitions and evictions. The delegation reported widespread displacement of Bengali-speaking Muslim communities, many of whom possess valid citizenship documents including Aadhaar, voter ID, ration cards, PAN cards, and NRC certification.

Gandhiji quoted as saying his anti-untouchability view has little space for inter-dining with "lower" castes

By A Representative A senior activist close to Narmada Bachao Andolan (NBA) leader Medha Patkar has defended top Booker prize winning novelist Arundhati Roy’s controversial utterance on Gandhiji that “his doctrine of nonviolence was based on an acceptance of the most brutal social hierarchy the world has ever known, the caste system.” Surprised at the police seeking video footage and transcript of Roy’s Mahatma Ayyankali memorial lecture at the Kerala University on July 17, Nandini K Oza in a recent blog quotes from available sources to “prove” that Gandhiji indeed believed in “removal of untouchability within the caste system.”

'Govts must walk the talk on gender equality, right to health, human rights to deliver SDGs by 2030'

By A Representative With just 64 months left to deliver on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), global health and rights advocates have called upon governments to honour their commitments on gender equality and the human right to health. Speaking ahead of the 80th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), experts warned that rising anti-rights and anti-gender pushes are threatening hard-won progress on SDG-3 (health and wellbeing) and SDG-5 (gender equality).

Is U.S. fast losing its financial and technological edge under Trump’s second tenure?

By Dr. Manoj Kumar Mishra* The United States, along with its Western European allies, once promoted globalization as a democratic force that would deliver shared prosperity and balanced growth. That promise has unraveled. Globalization, instead of building an even world, has produced one defined by inequality, asymmetry of power, and new vulnerabilities. For decades, Washington successfully turned this system to its advantage. Today, however, under Trump’s second administration, America is attempting to exploit the weaknesses of others without acknowledging how exposed it has become itself.

What mainstream economists won’t tell you about Chinese modernisation

By Shiran Illanperuma China’s modernisation has been one of the most remarkable processes of the 21st century and one that has sparked endless academic debate. Meng Jie (孟捷), a distinguished professor from the School of Marxism at Fudan University in Shanghai, has spent the better part of his career unpacking this process to better understand what has taken place.

Counterview

Search This Blog