
Considered quitting Air India job to look after father—family, friends remember Capt Sumeet Sabharwal
Amid police security, friends and family members broke down into tears after seeing the remains of the captain, whose body was placed in the society's complex area before being taken for the final rites.
Mumbai: Jal Vayu Vihar Sector 4, in Mumbai's Powai area, was sombre Tuesday as the society gathered to say their final goodbye to Captain Sumeet Sabharwal, the pilot of Air India-171 that crashed in Ahmedabad last week.
Maal Singh, 68, a neighbour, said he was still in shock. 'We have known each other for a very long time. Mostly, we used to meet each other when Sumeet used to take his father out for walks in the society complex. He was a very polite and calm person. We are still in shock over what has happened.'
He said Sumeet was a family man and used to take care of his ageing father. He had been extra attentive since Sumeet's mother passed away 2 years ago.
Businessman Niranjan Hiranandani and local MLA Dilip Lande were among those who visited the Sabharwal residence to pay their respects.
A guard, who did not wish to be named, told ThePrint that people had started pouring in from 6 am onwards. 'The complex started filling in from 6 am onwards. Even media persons, huge police security, big officers from the police force were present. A lot of them from neighbouring societies also came.'
At around 9:45 am, the body was taken for last rites, which were performed at an electric crematorium in suburban Chakala in the presence of family members. The family members left the crematorium around 11 am.
Captain Sumeet was the pilot of flight AI-171 to London that crashed shortly after taking off from Ahmedabad. 241 people aboard—229 passengers and 12 crew members—were killed, with only a sole person, a passenger, surviving. Investigations into the cause of the crash are still ongoing.
Remembered as a polite & smiling man
Sanjay Singh, his neighbour and friend, told ThePrint that earlier, Sumeet used to stay in Delhi, while his parents stayed in Mumbai.
However, in 2022, when his mother passed away, Sumeet shifted base to Mumbai to take care of his father.
'He was a doting son. He cared about his family a lot. Whenever he was around, he would not miss a single session of taking his father down for a walk. We used to all meet and greet in society,' said Sanjay Singh.
'In fact, even the day before the accident, I met Sumeet in the complex. He was wearing a simple t-shirt and shorts, and was just a regular and smiling fellow. His father, Pushkaraj, was the senior most in our society, and all of us used to take his blessings,' he added.
His friends remember him as a caring and polite person. At one point, Sumeet had even discussed quitting his Air India flying job to take up a regular job so he could take care of his father.
'He was a thorough gentleman and a dedicated person. I am just in tears even thinking about him. He used to live in the building next to mine. A soul departed too soon. When I heard about the news, I couldn't believe it,' said 68-year-old neighbour Ratan Lal Singh.
His friends, whom ThePrint spoke to, recalled how the father went completely numb after hearing the news of the demise of his son. He is still in shock and is quiet, not in a condition to speak.
'What can he do? It is the biggest tragedy for any father. Normally, a son performs last rites for a father, but here, a father has to see his son depart before him,' said Sanjay Singh.
(Edited by Sanya Mathur)
Also Read: Former CM Vijay Rupani's body released to family, last rites to be held in Rajkot

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
&w=3840&q=100)

First Post
13 hours ago
- First Post
India responds to UK media reports of botched repatriation after Air India tragedy
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said all mortal remains were handled with utmost professionalism and with due regard for the dignity of the deceased read more Remains of the Air India plane that crashed moments after taking off from the Ahmedabad airport, Thursday in June. File image/PTI India on Wednesday trashed a British media report which claimed that two families in the UK received wrong bodies of victims of the Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said all mortal remains were handled with utmost professionalism and with due regard for the dignity of the deceased. 'We have seen the report and have been working closely with the UK side from the moment these concerns and issues were brought to our attention,' MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD 'In the wake of the tragic crash, the concerned authorities had carried out identification of victims as per established protocols and technical requirements,' he said. Jaiswal was responding to media queries regarding a report in the Daily Mail on the June 12 Air India crash in which 241 people on board were killed, including 53 British nationals. 'All mortal remains were handled with utmost professionalism and with due regard for the dignity of the deceased. We are continuing to work with the UK authorities on addressing any concerns related to this issue,' he said. The British newspaper, citing versions of two unnamed families, claimed that the repatriation of Britons killed in the crash has been 'horrifically bungled'. Bereaved families are suffering fresh heartache because the remains of their loved ones were wrongly identified before being flown home, it alleged.

The Hindu
15 hours ago
- The Hindu
IndiGo's Ahmedabad-Diu flight aborts take-off due to technical snag
A Diu-bound IndiGo flight from Ahmedabad carrying around 50 passengers and crew members aborted take-off at the last minute on Wednesday (June 23, 2025) due to a technical issue, sources said. Also read:Ahmedabad plane crash: 'Established protocols' followed for identifying victims, says India after U.K. media report on families receiving wrong bodies As per the schedule, the flight was supposed to depart around 11.15 am from the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport, they said. The aircraft was in the take-off roll phase when the pilot decided to stop it on the runway. "A technical snag indication was noticed just before the take-off on IndiGo flight 6E7966 operating from Ahmedabad to Diu on July 23," IndiGo said in a statement. Following the standard operating procedure, the pilots informed the authorities and returned the aircraft to bay, it said. The aircraft will undergo necessary checks and maintenance before resuming operations, it said. The airline also said it will accommodate the passengers in the next available flight or will provide a full refund against cancellation, as per their preference. An airport official said the IndiGo flight was cancelled due to some technical issues. "When the aircraft began its take-off roll, the pilots took a decision to stop it due to some technical reasons," a source said. All the 50-odd passengers and crew members are safe, he said. This is the third incident involving an IndiGo aircraft in the last few days. On July 21, an IndiGo flight from Goa with 140 passengers on board made an emergency landing at the Devi Ahilyabai Holkar Airport in Madhya Pradesh's Indore due to a landing gear issue. Prior to that on July 17, a Goa-bound IndiGo flight from Delhi made an emergency landing in Mumbai after being diverted to it due to a mid-air engine failure. The flight was being operated with an Airbus A320neo aircraft. On June 12, an Air India flight to London Gatwick crashed within seconds of its take-off from the Ahmedabad airport, killing 241 of the 242 passengers and crew members on board and 19 persons on ground.


New Indian Express
16 hours ago
- New Indian Express
IndiGo's Ahmedabad-Diu flight aborts take-off due to technical snag; DGCA launches probe
AHMEDABAD: An IndiGo flight bound for Diu was forced to abort take-off after a cockpit engine fire alert triggered panic. This near-miss comes just over a month after the deadly crash of Air India flight AI-171, which killed 260 people, including those on board and on the ground. Flight 6E-7966, operated on an ATR aircraft (VT-IYA), was preparing to take off from Ahmedabad when pilots suddenly received an 'engine one flameout' warning. Reacting swiftly, the crew rejected take-off and brought the aircraft to a safe halt. All 70 passengers and crew members on board escaped unhurt. The aircraft has now been grounded for detailed checks. Meanwhile, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has launched a formal probe into the incident, aiming to determine what triggered the fire alert. Reacting on the incident , An IndiGo Spokesperson says, "A technical snag indication was noticed just before take-off on IndiGo flight 6E7966 operating from Ahmedabad to Diu on 23 July 2025. Following the standard operating procedure, the pilots informed the authorities and returned the aircraft to bay. The aircraft will undergo necessary checks and maintenance before resuming operations."