Ahmedabad, June 15: Three days after the tragic crash of Air India flight AI-171 in Ahmedabad, which has so far claimed 270 lives, hospital authorities confirmed on Sunday the identification of 47 victims through DNA matching, including that of former Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani.

Authorities have handed over 24 bodies to the victims’ families, officials said on Sunday.

Rupani was among the 242 passengers and crew members on board the London-bound Air India flight AI-171 that crashed on Thursday.

The Gujarat government has announced a state mourning for Rupani on Monday. A funeral procession will be held in Rajkot in the evening.

The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner crashed into a medical college complex moments after taking off from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport at 1:39 PM on Thursday. So far 29 people are reported to have died in the disaster on the ground which includes five MBBS students. Only one person from the aircraft miraculously survived.

Due to the severe condition of many bodies—burnt or disfigured—authorities are relying on DNA matching for identification.

“A total of 47 plane crash victims have been identified so far through DNA matching. Of these, the bodies of 24 victims have been handed over to their respective families. These deceased were from Rajasthan and different parts of Gujarat,” Additional Civil Superintendent Dr. Rajnish Patel told reporters.

He added that 14 of the identified victims were from Udaipur, Vadodara, Kheda, Mehsana, Ahmedabad, and Botad districts.

Of the 51 people injured in the incident, 38 have been discharged, while 13 are still undergoing treatment, said Dr. Patel, a professor of surgery at the government-run B J Medical College.

According to Dr. Dhaval Gameti, president of the BJ Medical College Junior Doctors’ Association, around 270 bodies were brought to Ahmedabad Civil Hospital from the crash site.

State Relief Commissioner Alok Kumar Pandey told reporters that families of all 230 passengers who perished on the flight have been contacted.

“Members of only three deceased passengers are yet to give their DNA samples as they live abroad. They are expected to arrive tomorrow evening. Along with the mortal remains, we are also handing over death certificates to the kin so that they don’t face any issues afterwards,” said Pandey.

To assess the situation, P.K. Mishra, Principal Secretary to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, visited the crash site and Civil Hospital on Sunday. He was briefed on the sequence of events and interacted with the injured.

State government officials apprised Mishra about the sequence of events leading to the disaster, which is the country’s worst aviation accident in decades.

After enquiring about the health of the injured, Mishra proceeded to the hospital’s morgue area.

“I am very pained by the enormity of the tragedy. Everybody is sad. It is our duty to share grief and express our feelings for the victims,” Mishra told reporters.

The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) is leading a thorough probe into the causes of the crash. Various Central and state government agencies, including the state police, are assisting the AAIB team at the crash site in Meghaninagar.

Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) Commissioner Banchha Nidhi Pani highlighted the crucial recovery of the black box, an essential component of the investigation.

“The black box recovery was a very important part of the investigation process…The AMC immediately acted and the black box was also recovered,” Pani said, noting its location in the tail end of the aircraft, which was embedded in a building.

City Police Commissioner G.S. Malik also visited the accident site on Sunday morning.

Ahmedabad fire brigade officials said three delegations visited the crash site on Sunday including some foreigners to assist investigators.

Sources said the first meeting of a high-level multi-disciplinary committee formed by the Centre will be held on Monday in New Delhi.

The committee, headed by Union Home Secretary Govind Mohan, is mandated to ascertain the “root cause” of the plane crash and assess any contributing factors, including mechanical failure, human error,

and regulatory compliances. The committee has been mandated to submit its report within three months.

As part of the ongoing efforts, 230 teams have been formed to coordinate with the victims’ families.

Meanwhile, Air India on Sunday said it is working closely with other Tata group companies to provide every possible assistance to the families and loved ones of the plane crash victims.

The airline in a statement also said that over 400 family members have reached Ahmedabad and are being assisted by its teams on the ground.

Lucknow, June 15: Union Home Minister Amit Shah said on Sunday that through the anti-terror Operation Sindoor, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has sent a strong message across the world that the bloodshed of Indians will invite punishment.

Speaking after handing over appointment letters to 60,244 Uttar Pradesh Police constables, including 12,048 women, HM Shah said, “I congratulate our armed forces for precision strikes that demolished the terror hubs.”

He also compared PM Modi’s strong response to terror strikes with the Congress era, which witnessed frequent attacks but no response.

Hailing the current era of ‘Sashakt Bharat’, HM Shah highlighted the strides made by the nation in reducing poverty, space technology, education, aviation, opportunities for the youth, computer-based skilling and urban mobility through Metro networks.

HM Shah said that under PM Modi, even internal security in the country has improved. “Earlier, 11 districts were affected by Maoism, but today Left Wing Extremism is present only in three districts,” he said.

“Mark my words, Maoism will be eradicated from the country by March 21, 2026,” he said.

Highlighting the economy’s growth under PM Modi, HM Shah said, “By 2027, the country will become the third largest economy. When PM Modi took charge, our economy was the 11 largest.”

HM Shah also highlighted PM Modi’s vision for impartial social upliftment and said in the last 11 years, 25 crore people have emerged from poverty, crores of people have got cooking gas cylinders, free ration, free treatment up to Rs 5 lakh, and farmers have started getting Rs 6,000 every year.

Targeting the previous Samajwadi Party-led government in the state, the Home Minister said that before 2017, the law and order situation in UP was deteriorating steadily, but under the BJP government led by Yogi Adityanath, the state police has returned to the track of improvement and revival.

Today, under CM Adityanath, goons don’t call the shots and criminals don’t enjoy any VIP treatment, he said, referring to the alleged lawlessness in the state under the previous Samajwadi Party government.

Pointing to the hurdles created by the SP government in police reforms, he said, “During the first three years of PM Modi’s government, the state police did not benefit from efforts for improvement.”

HM Shah also hit out at the SP government for corruption in recruitment, saying the current hiring of 60,244 constables in UP Police has been done without any ‘Kharchi-Parchi’ and only on the basis of merit.

“Earlier, recruitments used to take place on a caste basis, but not anymore. The current hiring has been done transparently,” he said, expressing satisfaction over the appointment of 12,048 women as constables.

New Delhi, June 15: The Indian National Congress (INC) on Sunday condemned the recent Israeli airstrikes and targeted assassinations carried out on Iranian soil, calling them a “dangerous” step that could worsen tensions in the region and globally.

In a post on X, Congress MP and the party’s General Secretary in-charge of Communications, Jairam Ramesh, expressed the party’s position on the growing conflict between Iran and Israel. Jairam Ramesh wrote, “The Indian National Congress unequivocally condemns Israel’s recent bombings and targeted assassinations on Iranian soil, which represent a dangerous escalation with grave regional and global consequences. This attack on Iran’s sovereignty and encroachment of its rights, whether through aerial strikes or covert killings, only deepens instability and sows the seeds of further conflict.”

Congress affirmed its belief in diplomacy, dialogue, and international cooperation as the legitimate paths ahead. “The Congress party firmly believes that diplomacy, dialogue, and international cooperation, and not violence, are the only legitimate and sustainable path forward. Hostilities must cease immediately. Continued military brinkmanship risks plunging an already fragile region into wider war, with catastrophic human and economic fallout,” the post read.

Noting India’s ties with both Iran and Israel, Congress said that it is India’s moral responsibility to act as a bridge for de-escalation and peace.

The X post said, “India has long-standing civilizational ties with Iran and, in recent decades, has developed strategic relations with Israel. This unique position gives our country the moral responsibility and the diplomatic leverage to act as a bridge for de-escalation and peace.”

Adding on to its call for peace between the two nations, Congress suggested that India should use diplomatic channels to promote a dialogue, as many Indian citizens live and work across West Asia.

“With lakhs of Indian citizens living and working across West Asia, peace in the region is a vital national interest apart from being a geopolitical concern. India must speak clearly, act responsibly, and use every diplomatic channel available to defuse tensions and promote a return to dialogue,” the post further read.

On Saturday, this comes after Jairam Ramesh took a jibe at the government over India distancing itself from the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation’s (SCO) statement on the Israel-Iran conflict, and asked if “we have been reduced to being an abject apologist for Israel”.

“What does this MEA statement really mean? It seems to suggest that Israel can attack Iran but that Iran should exercise restraint and not climb the escalatory ladder. Have we been reduced to being an abject apologist for Israel? We cannot even condemn Israel’s attacks on and targeted assassinations in Iran?” Ramesh asked on X, referring to the statement issued by the Ministry of External Affairs.

Earlier on Saturday, the MEA in a statement stated India did not participate in the discussions on the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) statement on recent developments between Israel and Iran.

SCO, in its statement, condemned military strikes “carried out by Israel against Iran on June 13” and expressed serious concern over the escalating tensions in the Middle East.