'Thought Pakistan fired missile’: Students feared attack when Air India flight crashed into BJ Medical College hostel

Air India Plane Crash: The tragic crash of Air India flight AI-171 on June 12 not only claimed 241 lives but also revived deep-seated fears among medical students at BJ Medical College, who initially believed the devastating impact on their hostel was the result of a missile attack from Pakistan.

The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, bound for London Gatwick, lost altitude moments after takeoff from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport, crashing into the residential quarters of BJ Medical College doctors in the Meghani Nagar area. The crash caused a massive explosion and thick black smoke to billow skywards, killing 241 people on board and more than two dozen on the ground, including nine doctors.

‘Pakistan must have attacked with a missile’

Among the survivors at BJ Medical College was Keshav Bhadana, a second-year MBBS student from Faridabad, who recounted to NDTV the harrowing moments when the walls of the medical college hostel began to crumble. 

“It was lunchtime. At around 1.30 pm, I was eating with my friends at the mess when suddenly, the walls began to collapse and the ceiling began to fall. At first, it seemed like a dust storm. We then thought it must have been an earthquake,” he said.

Bhadana’s initial reaction was shaped by the tense geopolitical climate between India and Pakistan. “Then I thought Pakistan must have attacked with a missile. I put my hands on my face out of fear."

‘Suitcases falling from above’

"The moment I removed my hands from my face, I saw suitcases falling from above. Then I thought it must have been a plane crash,” the medico added.

The student lost four friends in the Air India disaster. 

“At the time of the accident, 50 children were eating on my floor. There were six friends sitting at my table. Four of them were killed in the (Air India plane) crash. One of them was a very close friend of mine and I miss him,” Bhadana told NDTV. 

He also described his injuries and the chaos that followed: “I saw a wall falling on me. As I fell backwards, I suffered injuries on my hands, legs and head. My legs were buried under the rubble.”

‘Cylinders in the mess started exploding’

The situation worsened when gas cylinders in the mess began exploding, sending the survivors into further panic. “We were on the first floor of the mess. Everyone was screaming... There was black smoke everywhere, so nothing was visible. Suddenly, the cylinders in the mess started exploding,” he said. “Many people had stopped showing signs of any movement. Maybe they had died. We came out with great difficulty.”

Ghosts of past haunt India’s border states with Pakistan

This fear of a missile strike was not unfounded, given the recent escalation in tensions between New Delhi and Islamabad. The crash occurred against the backdrop of Operation Sindoor.

The 2025 Pahalgam terror attack, in which 26 civilians including tourists were killed by militants, significantly escalated tensions between India and Pakistan. 

In response, India launched Operation Sindoor on May 7, targeting nine terror camps across Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir to dismantle militant infrastructure. 

Following these strikes, Pakistan attempted missile and drone attacks on India’s western border states, including Rajasthan, Punjab, and Gujarat, leading to a brief but intense military conflict before a ceasefire was agreed upon.

The border states of Rajasthan, Punjab, and Gujarat were on high alert due to fears of missile attacks.