Air India’s flight AI171 bound for London Gatwick did not make it past the perimeter of the Ahmedabad Airport. The Boeing Dreamliner gained an altitude of 625 feet before descending to a blazing disaster in the nearby residential area, killing 241 souls onboard and several others in the area. The cause of the accident is yet to be ascertained.
One passenger seated at seat no. 11A miraculously survived the crash. However, his sibling on the same flight did not. The Indian-origin British national is currently under treatment at the local civil hospital.
Rescue and recovery operations are in full swing in the accident zone. The Bhagavad Gita, a sacred Hindu scripture recovered from the debris, has gone viral. The illustrated version of the holy text is intact and barely burnt.
एयर इंडिया विमान हादसा : 241 यात्री मारे गए लेकिन भगवद् गीता रही एकदम सुरक्षित
◆ विमान हादसे में नहीं पहुंचा धर्मग्रंथ को कोई नुकसान
◆ वीडियो हुआ SM पर वायरल #BhagwatGita | Bhagwat Gita | #AirIndiaPlaneCrash pic.twitter.com/zpX73Q4jc6
— News24 (@news24tvchannel) June 13, 2025
While several users were elated to see the scripture unscathed, others took a dig on blind superstition over faith. One user jibed “Kya fayda ese granth ka jo logo ka na bacha paya aur khud bach gaya? Chamatkaar toh tab hota jab Gita sab ko bacha leti.” (What’s the use of a book which could not save souls onboard rather saved itself? It would have been a true miracle if the Gita had saved everyone.)
Another user wrote, “Log mare, parivaar barbaad huye, par charcha ho rahi hai ek kitaab ki!” (People died, families were devastated, yet a book is being glorified)/ The user further added, “Kya yeh kitaab un baccho ko, mata pita ko, aur sapno ko fir se jeevit kar sakti hai jo hadse mein khatam ho gaye?” (Can a book bring back the kids, the parents, and the dreams that were killed in the crash?)
A third user quipped, “Jab jaan nahi jai toh Bhagavad Gita ka kya karenge?” (What would you do about the text if the soul is not alive to read?)
One user noted that often books are not destroyed in a blaze, especially a hardbound one.
क्या फायदा ऐसे ग्रन्थ का जो लोगो को नहीं बचा पाया और खुद बच गया। चमत्कार तो तब होता जब गीता सब को बचा लेती ।
लोगों को मूर्ख बनाना बंद कर दो ।
— Kishan jeetu Gupta (@KishanGupta_INC) June 13, 2025
हादसे में बची गीता की किताब को सुरक्षित कहना, क्या यह नहीं दिखाता कि हमारी प्राथमिकताएँ कितनी विकृत हो गई हैं? लोग मरे, परिवार बर्बाद हुए, लेकिन चर्चा हो रही है एक किताब की। क्या यह किताब उन 265 लोगों को वापस ला सकती है? क्या यह किताब उन बच्चों, माता-पिता, और सपनों को फिर से…
— Keshav Singh (@KeshavHjp) June 13, 2025
जब जान ही नहीं रहेगी तो भगवद्गीता का क्या करेंगे??
— sumit tiwari (@citizens_voice7) June 13, 2025
Seriously!!!! What the fuck are you people smoking? Deflecting attention from a tragedy in the garb superstition. Shame on you motherfuckers
— Sid SID_SIDHARTH (@SidSIDSIDH17536) June 13, 2025
Fact – Books are not always instantly consumed in a fire, especially hardback books. https://t.co/J3yxyrg2jf
— PK (@prashantsayzz) June 13, 2025
See Also: Seat 11A: Lone Survivor Recounts The Horrific Air India Dreamliner Crash: ‘There Were Bodies All Around…’
See Also: Internet Asks Sundar Pichai To Be Part-Time Air India CEO Amid A Wave Of Condolences Over Ahmedabad Crash
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See Also: Air India Tragedy: News Site’s Movie Recommendations On Plane Crash Triggers The Internet ‘Gutter Level Journalism’
Cover: Patrick Gawande / Mashable India