‘A Pity To See Media Selling Conspiracy Theories on Air India Crash’

Nargis Natarajan, an author based in Bhubaneshwar, found it disheartening that several media outlets were selling half-baked stories on Air India tragedy. Her views:

On hearing about the Boeing air crash at Ahmedabad airport recently, my first impression lasted well beyond the tragic moment, ranging from shock and disbelief to grief, anger and apprehension. It wasn’t just watching a tiny bubble burst. The massive explosion was like going through a catalogue of incompetence so complete it’s almost unimaginable.

What really strikes you is that dreaded word ‘avoidable’. Just watching the events unfold — the massive cloud of fire, dust and debris, was a deadly and stark reminder of the collapse of the twin towers. The plane crashing into a building bore an uncanny resemblance to the incident that had not only altered our worldview, but also left a long-term impact on how we see each other.

So yes, I sincerely hoped it wasn’t any terrorist attack; because that would have yet again torn apart the secular fabric of our country. Fortunately, the forces that keep alive a democracy haven’t yet collapsed. But what autocrats don’t realize is that God’s gift to earth is its diversity. It’s this variety of people, of views, of cultures, that gives our nation its strength.

India is like a centipede with a thousand legs, racing forward towards a dream. A terrorist attack of this magnitude would have definitely halted the process.

Indeed, my green opinion doesn’t count. The so called ‘experts’ are busy playing the blame game smashing left and right with their vibrant and colourful opinions. It’s no secret how this toxic sport operates.

Even as we watch with bated breath, waiting for some sensible shots of accountability, the points of doubt and distrust only keep accumulating. Thankfully, some sensible aviation experts insist that the math simply doesn’t add up in so many technical ways. So it’s best to wait, watch and hope; that there is some transparency in the investigation and that we will finally be given answers that sound credible.

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The pilots, including the captain of the aircraft, are not only ‘dragged’ being but consciously targeted. Releasing a truncated and curtailed conversation is nothing short of assigning blame. A half-detailed report, without any data to support the truth, only pushes us towards the direction of the pilots. Almost like a natural release on a sealed pressure cooker, allowing the steam to decrease gradually until things have cooled down.

In a world that thrives on gossip, certain deadly sharks called journalists, among others, who love a little blood in the water, are busy. Their world is rife with assumptions, suppositions and inferences. The rumour monger factory is in full flow because they know that as long as the focus is entirely on the pilots, the ones truly responsible will be shielded from the disturbing, distressing, disquieting and disconcerting limelight. 

However, what we don’t realize is that when we leave everything to ‘interpretations’ there are bound to be bizarre speculations. Even like peddling the ‘suicide’ theory!

Seriously? Captain Sumeet Sabharwal and First Officer Clive Kunder were qualified, skilled and experienced flyers. They were NOT suicide bombers or Kamikaze pilots. It’s so sad how easily we forget that it is socially inappropriate for the living to speak ill of the dead. Especially those who cannot even defend or justify themselves!

Even if it sounds strange, the Preliminary Report rules out mechanical failure, bird strike, sabotage, conspiracy, and fuel contamination. What is comfortable and convenient is always easy to market — but for challenges and controversies you need guts.  It isn’t as if we lack competence. Perhaps we just lack the courage, because when we start diverting issues, we have already ceased striving for the truth and begun striving for ourselves.

So why give half baked interpretations? Why provide meaningless suppositions and conjectures? Why not wait for the full report with the full data that will finally reveal who or what was responsible; whether it was the microprocessor’s fault; a system failure, a design issue, a software glitch, a tail fire, or a human error.

There are multiple issues that need to be discussed, but right now the media needs to call a spade a spade. They need to highlight how our aviation industry is being throttled by poor policies; how we need to concentrate on safety and maintenance over profit; and how the entire system needs support and not hollow and empty slogans.

In every calamity, the names of the victims are read out. Perhaps what we need is to read out a few other names as well — of all those directly or indirectly liable, even if not all may bear the same degree of responsibility.

Surely, we cannot become serial creators of falsehoods. We need to put our case to the world in a graceful, dignified and honest way. We need journalists who question the government during peace times, so that when any calamity happens, the world believes our narrative.

Lastly, back home, we need to be assured that air travel is safe – so that we can fly with a certain calm, and more confidence.

As told to Amit Sengupta