UAE doctor donation of AED 2.5 million supports families and survivors of Air India Flight 171 crash in Ahmedabad.
Abu Dhabi: A tragic plane crash in Ahmedabad has prompted a heartfelt response from UAE-based doctor and philanthropist Dr. Shamsheer Vayalil, who has pledged AED 2.5 million (₹6 crore) to support the families of medical students and doctors impacted by the Air India Flight 171 crash. The tragedy struck BJ Medical College on 12 June 2025, claiming the lives of four MBBS students and several family members of doctors.
The crash occurred when a Boeing 787 aircraft collided with the Atulyam hostel and mess block during lunchtime, destroying student residences and communal areas. The deceased students—Jaiprakash Choudhary, Manav Bhadu, Aaryan Rajput, and Rakesh Diyora—were young aspiring doctors, their futures cut tragically short.
Moved by images of the wreckage, Dr. Shamsheer, Chairman of Burjeel Holdings, announced the relief from Abu Dhabi, recalling his own medical hostel days in Mangalore and Chennai. “I saw the footage and it shook me. Those corridors once shaped my life too. It hit close. Too close,” he said.
The UAE doctor donation includes ₹1 crore each for the four deceased students’ families, ₹20 lakh for each of five critically injured students, and ₹20 lakh for families of doctors who lost loved ones. The aid will be coordinated through the Junior Doctors’ Association at BJ Medical College.
Among the injured is Ritesh Kumar Sharma, a third-year student, who was trapped under debris for hours with serious leg injuries. His survival, like others, stands as a painful testament to the incident’s scale.
This is not Dr. Shamsheer’s first humanitarian effort. He previously assisted victims of the 2010 Mangalore crash and has long supported relief efforts in India and the Gulf. However, this tragedy, he noted, was deeply personal.
“These young men were part of the same fraternity I once belonged to,” he said. “This support is not just financial. It’s a symbol of solidarity across generations of doctors.”
As BJ Medical College continues to recover, the UAE doctor donation is a powerful gesture of empathy, honouring lives lost and upholding the spirit of service within the medical community.
