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Indian American professor blames reservation for Air India crash, faces backlash
Critics also accused Iyer of caste bias and of using a national tragedy to advance ideological arguments.
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Malvika Choudhary - Thu, 19, Jun 2025
- 14:53 EDT
- 29
Rajeshwari Iyer/ Air India / X (Rajeshwari Iyer)/ Unsplash
An Indian-American academic has come under intense criticism on social media after attributing the recent Air India crash to India’s reservation policy.
Rajeshwari Iyer, an alumna of Indian Institute of Technology Bombay and National Institute of Technology Puducherry, triggered outrage after posting on X (formerly Twitter), saying “Even the post of 'Air Traffic Controller' has reservations. Means: In India, Freeloaders are more important than Safety. Including Indian Citizens we lose many British citizens too, 241 died in plane crash. What a pathetic system.”
Also Read: Three U.S. flights from Delhi affected by Air India cuts
The tweet, posted shortly after news of the crash broke, referenced a recruitment notification from the Airports Authority of India (AAI) that included reservation quotas for air traffic controller posts. Iyer’s remarks were seen as linking the tragedy to India’s affirmative action policies.
Even the post of "Air Traffic Controller" has reservations.
— Dr. Rajeshwari Iyer (@RajeshwariRW) June 13, 2025
Means:
In India
Freeloaders are more important than Safety.
Including Indian Citizens we lose many British citizens too, 241 died in plane crash.
What a pathetic system pic.twitter.com/Yfrrupxukh
The Air India crash, which claimed at least 265 lives—including passengers and people on the ground—involved a Boeing Dreamliner aircraft and remains under investigation. Preliminary findings suggest possible dual-engine failure and thrust loss, not issues related to air traffic control.
Social media users swiftly condemned Iyer’s post. “Firstly, it’s too early to conclude anything,” one user wrote. Another noted, “The crash happened due to malfunctions in a Boeing Dreamliner, which is manufactured by a U.S. company. There is no fault of the crew. So chill a bit before farming.”
Critics also accused Iyer of caste bias and of using a national tragedy to advance ideological arguments. Some users cited previous aviation mishaps involving upper-caste individuals, pushing back against her assertion that caste-based hiring played a role.
Indian-origin entrepreneur and Hotmail co-founder Sabeer Bhatia also faced criticism for separate remarks that were perceived as dismissive of public grief over the victims. He later defended his comments online.
The controversy unfolds as Air India announced a 15 percent reduction in international wide-body services to improve fleet readiness amid scrutiny. The airline said the move is intended to build reserve capacity and manage “unplanned disruptions,” and will remain in effect until at least mid-July.
Both flight recorders have been recovered and are undergoing analysis. Due to fire damage, the flight data recorder is being examined at a U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) lab. Authorities from India, the UK, and the U.S. are jointly investigating under the oversight of India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB), with a preliminary report expected in the coming weeks.
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