Kerala Govt Suspends Employee for Offensive Comment on Plane Crash Victim

Thiruvananthapuram, Jun 13 (PTI) - A government employee in Kerala has been suspended after making an offensive comment on Facebook regarding a Keralite nurse, Ranjitha, who tragically died in the recent Ahmedabad plane crash. A Pavithran, serving as a junior superintendent at the Vellarikundu taluk office in Kasaragod district, faced suspension on Friday for mocking Ranjitha, a nurse from Pathanamthitta and a victim of the disaster.

State Revenue Minister K Rajan publicly condemned Pavithran's remarks as "disgraceful" in a Facebook post and disclosed that an immediate suspension order was issued following the post's circulation. Ranjitha, who was a devoted mother of two, worked as a nurse in the UK. Her visit to Kerala was intended to manage formal obligations concerning her government employment, with a plan to resume her service after a brief period abroad. Sadly, she was among those who perished in the ill-fated flight upon her return journey.

In a display of support and empathy, State Health Minister Veena George visited Ranjitha's family residence in Pullad, Pathanamthitta district, where she offered condolences to her grief-stricken family and comforted her two young children.

The horrifying crash transpired on Thursday afternoon when a Boeing 787 Dreamliner (AI 171), carrying 242 individuals, met with disaster shortly after taking off from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport. Among the passengers was former Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani. The aircraft tragically plummeted into a medical college complex in Ahmedabad. Shocking details have revealed that only one person survived, while a total of 241 others—including 168 Indians, 53 British nationals, seven Portuguese citizens, and one Canadian—lost their lives.