Astrologer Faces Backlash for ‘Predicting’ Plane Crash a Week Before Air India Tragedy

A Vedic astrologer has sparked outrage online after resurfacing old tweets that appeared to “predict” the tragic Air India crash in Ahmedabad, which claimed over 200 lives.

Sharmishtha, who identifies herself as an astrology practitioner, took to X (formerly Twitter) on Thursday to express her sorrow over the disaster. But she also seemed to connect the crash to her past astrological forecasts.

“It is very unfortunate that we lost so many lives in the Air India crash in Ahmedabad today,” she wrote. “Jupiter is yet to enter Ardra, and India’s Mars Mahadasha is yet to begin, yet so much has already started… I’m unable to reply to everyone. Apologies for that. Om Shanti.”

Her previous posts, including one from December 2024, mentioned: “Aviation sector will do better in 2025, also plane crash headlines may give us shock... When Jupiter will be in Gemini part of Mrigashira & Ardra... safety and security will be missing.”

Another tweet from June 5, just a week before the crash, spoke about aviation growth but also warned of possible “destruction” in the industry.

These posts quickly drew sharp criticism on social media. Many users accused her of being insensitive and exploiting a tragedy for attention.

“With all due respect, people have lost their lives in a terrible plane crash, and you’re using it to make astrological predictions? This is a time for empathy, accountability, and action—not celestial commentary,” one user wrote.

Another commented, “Did you really predict the AI171 crash based on planets? So all 250 victims shared the same planetary alignment? Astrology isn’t destiny, it’s a distraction.”

Others pointed out that tragedies should never be used as marketing opportunities. “Just another astrologer trying to promote their business off a tragic event,” one user said.

While astrology has many followers in India, most called for simple human decency and respect during this time of national grief.

“Can we just not bring astrology into this, out of respect?” one user pleaded. “There’s no need to be callous, even unintentionally.”