Ahmedabad Plane Crash: Victim's Sister Regrets Not Answering Last Video Call
Anju Sharma made a video call to her sister Neelu, right before the ill-fated AI-171 took off and crashed in Ahmedabad.
Published : June 13, 2025 at 3:51 PM IST
Kurukshetra: The Air India flight 171 claimed the lives of 241 on board and another 24 people on ground, leaving many families broken and shattered. Among the victims on board, Haryana’s Anju Sharma was one and her family is inconsolable after this incident. The eldest of nine siblings was on her way to London, her daughter lives, when the plane crashed seconds after takeoff.
According to her sister Neelu Sharma, Anju had reportedly video-called her before the flight. “I regret not taking my sister’s video-call before the crash. She video-called me twice and I was not able to answer those calls,” says the inconsolable Neelu, adding, “I last spoke to her the night before the crash.”
A native of Ram Sharan Majra village in Kurukshetra, Haryana, Anju moved to Vadodara after marriage and has been in Gujarat for three decades now. “She was going to London to visit her daughter Nimmi and we didn’t realise this would be her last journey,” said a shocked Neelu. Anju was the eldest of eight sisters and one brother; all of whom are married. One of the siblings, Milan Sharma, is an actor.
Parents Not Informed Yet
Anju’s brother-in-law informed ETV Bharat that her parents have not been informed about this incident yet. “Anju’s father Jagdish, an ex-army person, has been bedridden because of a brain hemorrhage and her mother is a cardiac patient. This is why we haven’t informed them yet and I don’t know how to let them know that their eldest child is no more,” says the brother-in-law.
Happy-Go-Lucky And Responsible
Being the eldest sibling in the family, she was responsible about everyone and was also the glue that kept the family together, according to her uncle Balkishan Sharma, who says, “She was like the eldest son of the house, taking care of everyone and being responsible towards everyone. This incident has left us in a state of shock.”
The family says she created a WhatsApp group of the entire family where they all share lighter moments and right before the crash, she video-called in the group; a call that was unanswered. Her last post on the group was a song ‘Aadmi Ek Khilona hai’.
DNA Taken From Younger Daughter
Medical officials took the DNA of Anju’s younger daughter, who lives in Vadodara, for the purpose of identifying the remains. The family is now preparing to go to Vadodara for final rites.
