'You can't ask questions': AAP's Saurabh Bhardwaj slams govt on plane crash

The Aam Aadmi Party leader's remark came after the Al-171 Boeing Dreamliner 787-8 aeroplane bound for London's Gatwick crashed shortly after taking off from the Ahmedabad airport

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Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Saurabh Bhardwaj on Friday launched a sharp attack on the ruling government over the growing concerns over public safety in India. He questioned, through a series of tragedies that have happened in recent months, asking for the government's accountability for rising accidents and crime incidents.

In a post on X, Bhardwaj said, "You go for a vacation in Kashmir, and terrorists shoot you point blank. You go to a Kumbh and it ends in a stampede, killing many. You go to a Railway station, you can get killed again in a stampede. You go in a flight for work/vacation, and it crashes. You are studying in your hostel, and the plane falls on you. Rapes, extortion, murders are everyday happening around u. But you can't ask Questions because No one of responsible."

The Aam Aadmi Party leader's remark came after the Al-171 Boeing Dreamliner 787-8 aeroplane bound for London's Gatwick crashed shortly after taking off from the Ahmedabad International Airport on Thursday.

The airlines said only one out of the 242 people on board the aircraft survived the crash.

The aircraft was piloted by Captain Sumeet Sabharwal, a Line Training Captain with 8,200 hours of flying experience, assisted by First Officer Clive Kundar, who had logged 1,100 flying hours.

According to Air Traffic Control (ATC), the aircraft departed from Ahmedabad at 1339 IST (0809 UTC) from runway 23. It made a Mayday call to ATC, but thereafter, the aircraft did not respond to the calls.

Immediately after departing Runway 23, the aircraft crashed outside the airport perimeter, and heavy black smoke began emanating from the accident site.

There were 169 Indian nationals, 53 British nationals, seven Portuguese nationals, and one Canadian national on board the crashed plane, airline authorities said.