'Air India asking kin of crash victims to waive claims before facts known’

Even as questions swirl around the investigation into the AI 171 crash on June 12, 2025, family members of some victims are also criticising its handling of the tragedy.

Radhika Mishra, daughter of former Gujarat CM Vijay Rupani, who was among the 260 people killed in the crash, has alleged that Air India is asking relatives to “sign full and final settlement documents before the official investigation has concluded and before the facts surrounding the accident have been fully established." AI has denied the charge.

Air India: Absolutely no pressure, deadline to accept our offer

Radhika Mishra, the London-based daughter of former Gujarat CM Vijay Rupani, has in a mail to Tata Group and AI chairman N Chandrasekaran said a document being circulated by the airline “requires families to permanently waive present and future claims before all facts are known…. We deserve more than compensation... We deserve answers... above all, we deserve closure.”

In its response to Mishra, which was seen by TOI, AI said, “There is absolutely no deadline or pressure on any family or individual to accept our offer within a set timeframe… Families are free to wait until the investigation report has been released, as some have chosen to do... investigation is (being) independently conducted by Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau, and therefore AI is not aware of when the report will be released. In light of the numerous requests we received, and conscious of our own obligations, we felt it would not be fair to families who wish to proceed with final compensation if we were to put the process on hold indefinitely.”

Rupani was flying AI 171 from Ahmedabad to meet his daughter when the Boeing 787 Dreamliner crashed seconds after take off, killing 241 of 242 people on board and 19 others in student hostels of the B J Medical College where it had fatally plunged.

Asking why “there is an effort to obtain final releases before the truth is known,” Mishra, a CA who lives in London, requested Tata Sons and AI to “clarify whether families can receive support without sacrificing future legal rights; reconsider the use of broad release and indemnity provisions before completion of all investigations; ensure no family feels pressured to choose between immediate financial support and the pursuit of truth.”

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