Actor Suchitra Krishnamoorthi found herself at the centre of online backlash this week after she questioned the legitimacy of Air India crash survivor Vishwas Kumar Ramesh’s story in a now-deleted post on X (formerly Twitter). The Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naa actor accused the sole survivor of the deadly Ahmedabad crash of faking his account, only to later retract her statement and issue a public apology.
In her original post, Suchitra wrote, “So this #vishwaskumarramesh lied about being a passenger on the plane & the only survivor? This is seriously weird. Didn’t his family in the UK corroborate his story? What about his brother’s funeral that he was seen giving kandha to? Deserve not only some serious punishment but some mental asylum time if this is true uff.” Her comments were reportedly influenced by unverified social media rumours casting doubt on Vishwas’s version of events.
The backlash online was swift and scathing, with many users calling out the actor for spreading misinformation and making insensitive remarks about a survivor of a national tragedy. Hours later, Suchitra deleted the post and took to X again, writing, “Took out my last tweet on the Air India crash survivor. Seems to be false news circulated for God knows what reason. My apologies.”
Vishwas Kumar Ramesh, a British national, is the only confirmed survivor of the Air India Flight 171 crash that occurred in Ahmedabad on June 12, claiming at least 260 lives. Seated in 11A near an emergency exit, he miraculously escaped the burning Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner by jumping out of the aircraft. He was treated at Ahmedabad Civil Hospital for his injuries.
Following his recovery, Vishwas was seen attending the funeral of his brother Ajay, who tragically died in the same crash. The emotional image of him performing the last rites served as painful confirmation of his survival and loss.
Suchitra’s comments have since been widely criticised, though her apology has been acknowledged by many as a necessary step in the aftermath.