A man has wished death upon the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, saying that he should have boarded the ill-fated Air India flight that crashed shortly after taking off from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport’s runway 23. The man, who goes by Anubhav Gupta on X (formerly Twitter), said this in response to a Congress MP’s post on Air India. 

‘You should’ve boarded the Air India flight’

Following the tragic Air India crash, Rahul Gandhi shared a condolence message on social media. He wrote, “The Ahmedabad Air India crash is heartbreaking,” before adding, “The pain and anxiety the families of the passengers and crew must be feeling is unimaginable. My thoughts are with each one of them in this incredibly difficult moment.”

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He went on to emphasise the urgent need for rescue and relief efforts, and directed his party workers to be on ground zero. “Congress workers must do everything they can to help on the ground,” he further said. 

However, in a disturbing response to the post, Gupta made a deeply offensive comment.

“Tu bhi board kar jata usi mein hi, mar jaata tu bhi. Zinda reh kar teri condolences ne to bahut samaaj kalyaan kar dia jaise [“You should’ve boarded that same flight too, you would’ve died as well. Staying alive, your condolences have really done a great service to society, haven’t they?],” read Gupta’s now-deleted response to the Congress leader’s post. 

Netizens call out Gupta

Many social media users found Gupta’s death wish insensitive and uncalled for. One social media user called it an “absolute shame”. Another tagged it as a “sadist” behaviour.

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Supreme Court lawyer files complaint 

“Filed a complaint with Delhi Police against the verified user Abhinav Gupta for his reprehensible and abusive comment targeting Rahul Gandhi, Leader of Opposition, in response to his condolence message on the tragic Air India Ahmedabad crash,” wrote SC advocate Pranav Arora. 

Arora also shared screenshots of his complaint, in which he said that the comment posted by Anubhav Gupta is “criminal, indecent, malicious, and constitutes a direct wish for the death of a constitutional functionary”. 

He argued, “It is not protected by the shield of free speech, but is a deliberate, hate-fuelled provocation that has the potential to seriously undermine public order, instigate political animosity, and trivialise a national tragedy.”

Ahmedabad plane crash

The flight AI171 took-off from Ahmedabad at 1:17 pm and was expected to land at London’s Gatwick Airport at 6:09 pm. However, moments after take-off, it started losing altitude, and ATC received a Mayday call from the pilot. However, ATC couldn’t establish a connection with the flight. 

A total of 242 passengers were onboard the flight, including former Gujarat CM Vijay Rupani. While all were declared dead, one miraculously survived the crash. Two pilots and 10 crew members have also been declared dead.