Three or 50? Medical students’ union letters unclear about the number of students who died in AI 171 crash in Ahmedabad
THE WEEK accessed a letter on the official letterhead of The Indian Medical Association Medical Students' Network (IMA MSN) that said that 50 medical students had died in the AI 171 crash in Ahmedabad. The letter was dated June 12, with the reference number MSN/HQ/2025/003.
But a letter with the reference number MSN/UP/2025/003 posted on X at 7:04pm on June 12 confirmed the death of medical students, without mentioning a number. At 10:55pm, IMA MSN put up another letter on X with the reference number MSN/UP/2025/06, confirming that at least three medical students had died in the air crash.
While the first letter was on the national body’s letterhead, the other two were on the Uttar Pradesh state unit’s letterhead. The first one has not been posted on the union’s official X account as this story is being published.
The UP letters were signed by IMA MSN Uttar Pradesh state convenor Dr Aman Priya Singh, general secretary Dr Megha Chattopadhyay and national council member Dr Abdul Ahad. The one on the national letterhead was co-signed by three office bearers of IMA MSN: Dr Shiv Kumar Utture, national chairman; Dr Mitesh C. Shah national secretary; and Dr Suryam Singh, national convenor.
Perhaps, three is the number of student victims from Uttar Pradesh, and 50 is the overall count. Considering the lateness of the hour and the situation on the ground, THE WEEK’s efforts to reach IMA MSN office bearers have been futile. Efforts are on to verify the figures.
Flight AI 171 had crashed into the hostel for undergraduate students at B.J. Medical College and Civil Hospital, Ahmedabad. As it was past noon, students had gathered in the hostel mess hall for lunch, leading to a spike in casualties on the ground.
The national unit’s letter said: “It is with profound grief and a heavy heart that we at IMA MSN National extend our deepest condolences and unwavering solidarity in the wake of the tragic incident in Ahmedabad, which has claimed the lives of 249 passengers and 50 of our fellow medical students, and unfortunately still counting.”
The union urged all its state units—especially those in proximity to Gujarat, Rajasthan, and Maharashtra—to mobilise and offer every assistance to BJ Medical College. IMA MSN called for money to support relief efforts; blood donation drives to support the treatment of survivors and medical volunteers in the field to assist doctors and paramedics in Ahmedabad. It has all called for all “kinds of logistical support”.
According to the organisation’s website, IMA MSN “is the student's wing of (the Indian Medical Association), aiming to connect medical students from all the medical colleges in India with the same goals and purpose as IMA while also providing a means for curricular and extracurricular activities to students.”
India