Sabeer Bhatia’s “Systemic Failure” Post On Air India Tragedy Sparks Outcry

India-West News Desk

NEW DELHI- Tech entrepreneur and Hotmail co-founder Sabeer Bhatia has faced significant social media backlash. This follows a post he made concerning the recent Air India Dreamliner crash in Ahmedabad that killed 241 people.

In the crash’s immediate aftermath, Bhatia posted: “Do you really think the 4th largest economy in the world should still be having plane crashes due to systemic failures? Time to question what truly makes a nation great.”

The post quickly went viral, gaining millions of views and sparking widespread criticism. Prickly social media users, mostly Indian, accused Bhatia of using a national tragedy for a political statement. Some questioned if he had commented on recent U.S. aviation incidents.

Responding to the criticism, Bhatia later clarified his position. “Of course, I’m deeply saddened and devastated by the loss of life… Why did it happen and what can we do as a society to prevent it from ever happening again?” he stated.

He defended his original message, saying criticism of systemic issues should not be seen as insensitivity toward victims. He added, “I am very sensitive to the people who died and very insensitive to the system that caused this to happen.”

Bhatia also addressed accusations of having a colonial mindset. He concluded, “What shocks people in the West isn’t India — it’s the poor decisions of its leaders.”