Shamsheer Vayalil, a UAE-based Indian doctor, has expressed his condolences for the four medical students who lost their lives in last week's Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad and pledged Rs 6 crore to support their families and other victims of the tragedy.
Dr Vayalil, founder and chairman of multinational healthcare group VPS Healthcare, paid tribute to the victims - Manav, Aaryan, Rakesh, and Jaiprakash - in a post on X, describing them as "future frontline heroes." Sharing a photo collage, he wrote, "Manav, Aaryan, Rakesh, and Jaiprakash were preparing to save lives, not lose their own. The AI-171 crash took them from us. I am pledging ₹6 crore to support their families and others affected."
The businessman, who is also son-in-law of MA Yusuff Ali (owner of retail conglomerate LuLu Group International), described his gesture as personal, stating, "Having lived in medical hostels, the images felt painfully familiar. This gesture is personal. It stands with the students who never got to serve, and with the families now carrying their memories forward."
The four students were among the victims of the devastating plane crash in Ahmedabad on 12 June. The Air India flight AI 171, bound for London with 242 people on board, crashed shortly after takeoff, hitting the BJ Medical College (BJMC) campus.
Tragically, the BJMC students were having lunch in the mess building when the accident occurred. The college has confirmed the deaths of four students. Of the 20 students injured in the crash, 11 have been discharged and are in stable condition, while the remaining nine continue to recover under medical observation.
