Thiruvananthapuram (Kerala) [India], June 13 : A. Pavithran, the Junior Superintendent of Vellarikundu taluk, has been suspended for an objectionable Facebook post criticising Ranjitha G. Nair, who died in the Ahmedabad plane crash.
Revenue Minister of Kerala, K Rajan, shared a social media post and called the junior superintendent's act despicable.
Sharing the Facebook post, Rajan wrote, "Vellarikundu taluk Junior Superintendent A. Pavithran has been suspended for posting a Facebook post criticising Ranjitha G. Nair, who died in a plane crash. This is a despicable act on the part of the Deputy Tehsildar. After this post came to our attention, an order was issued to suspend him immediately."
Ranjitha Gopakimar, hailing from Thiruvalla in Kerala's Pathanamthitta district, was among the victims of the London-bound Air India flight that crashed in Ahmedabad on Thursday, her family confirmed.
A London-bound Air India flight, carrying 242 people onboard, crashed shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad's Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport today, striking a doctors' hostel and claiming 241 lives.
Kerala BJP chief and former Union Minister Rajeev Chandesekhar posted on X, "Tributes to Ranjitha R. Nair from Kozhencherry, who lost her life in the Ahmedabad plane crash."
Ranjitha, who worked as a nurse in the United Kingdom, was on the ill-fated flight and has been confirmed to be dead, her relatives said.
She is survived by her two children and her mother, who currently reside in Thiruvalla.
Meanwhile, Union Home Minister Amit Shah's statement has also been scrutinised. Congress leader Jairam Ramesh responded to a post in which Amit Shah could be seen saying, "This is an accident, and nobody can stop accidents."
Replying to Shah's statement, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said, "Is this what the Union Home Minister should be saying now? It is most insensitive."
Congress leader Pawan Khera also attacked Shah and posted, "When a plane crashes and people die, the least a Home Minister can offer is a promise of accountability, not a shrug and a lecture on fate. 'Nobody can stop accidents' is an abdication. If nothing can be prevented, why do we have ministries at all? Aviation accidents are not acts of God - they are preventable. That's why we have aviation regulators, safety protocols, and crisis response systems. By the Home Minister's logic, should we stop investing in safety infrastructure, regulation, or crisis preparedness altogether? Just leave it to fate and call it a day?"