Indian-American professor blames reservation policy for Air India crash, sparks backlash

Indian-American professor Rajeshwari Iyer has sparked a heated online debate after blaming India’s reservation policies for the recent Air India crash that claimed over 270 lives.

Iyer, who studied in India, shared a job posting from the Airports Authority of India for air traffic controller positions with the caption, “Even the post of ‘Air Traffic Controller’ has reservations. Means: In India, freeloaders are more important than safety.” She also wrote, “Including Indian citizens, we lost many British citizens too. 241 died in a plane crash. What a pathetic system.”

Her comments drew mixed reactions. While some supported her views, many others accused her of caste prejudice and criticized her for using a national tragedy to push her ideological beliefs.

One person responded on social media, “The crash happened due to malfunctions in the Boeing Dreamliner, which is made by a US company, caused by loss of thrust. The crew is not at fault. So chill a bit.”

Another wrote, “It’s too early to jump to conclusions. Hopefully, brilliant migrants and naturalized citizens like you will one day help fix the flaws in this young democracy and move India past outdated colonial ideas.”

Several users also pointed out that previous air accidents involved professionals from non-reserved categories, challenging Iyer’s claim that reservation-based hiring was responsible for the crash.

This isn’t the first time Iyer, an alumna of NIT Puducherry and IIT Delhi, has sparked controversy. Last year, she claimed that Brahmins are the most exploited community in India, writing on social media that despite being less than 2% of the population, Brahmins have won 60% of all Nobel Prizes by Indians and face abuse and exploitation.

Her remarks continue to stir debate on sensitive social and political issues in India.