In the wake of the tragic Air India AI171 crash in Ahmedabad, an Indian-origin entrepreneur based in the UAE, Dr Shamsheer Vayalil, has pledged Rs 6 crore to support the families of the medical students who lost their lives in the accident.
The London-bound flight crashed into the hostel mess of BJ Medical College, Ahmedabad, moments after takeoff, killing four students, Manav, Aaryan, Rakesh, and Jaiprakash, among several others. The students were reportedly in their final years of medical education and had been preparing for a future in public service.
“They were future frontline heroes. Manav, Aaryan, Rakesh, and Jaiprakash were preparing to save lives, not lose their own. The AI171 crash took them from us. Pledging ₹6 crore to support their families and others affected,” Dr Vayalil wrote in a post on X.
He added in a follow-up, “Having lived in medical hostels, the images felt painfully familiar. This gesture is personal. It stands with the students who never got to serve, and with the families now carrying their memories forward.”
According to The Hindu, Dr Vayalil is the son-in-law of MA Yusuff Ali, the billionaire chairman of LuLu Group International.
Of the 242 people aboard the aircraft, only one person survived. The flight had 169 Indian nationals, 53 British nationals, 7 Portuguese nationals, and one Canadian national.
The airline also announced an interim compensation of Rs 25 lakh for each victim’s family and the survivor, in addition to Rs 1 crore already pledged by Tata Sons.
