Casteist slur against Ahmedabad plane crash victim: Kerala govt official suspended

A deputy tahsildar was suspended for making a casteist slur against a plane crash victim in an online post.

Kasaragod: The deputy tahsildar of Vellarikundu taluk has been suspended for making a casteist slur against Ranjitha, who died in the Ahmedabad plane crash. The slur was made in a Facebook comment under a condolence post. The comment was filled with obscenities. After the post became controversial, the tahsildar deleted it.

Revenue Minister K Rajan said that Junior Superintendent A. Pavithran of Vellarikundu Taluk, who made the Facebook post against Ranjitha G. Nair, who died in the plane crash, has been suspended. The minister said that the deputy tahsildar's action was despicable. The minister ordered the immediate suspension after the post came to his attention.

The same individual had been suspended in September 2024 for making casteist remarks against former minister and MLA Chandrasekharan in a Facebook post.

‘Renjitha was working as nurse’

Renjitha Gopakumaran Nair, a native of Pathanamthitta, was confirmed dead in the Ahmedabad plane crash. Originally from Pullatt in Tiruvalla, Renjitha worked as a nurse in London. She had returned home to explore settling in Kerala permanently. The tragedy occurred while she was on her way back to London. Renjitha travelled from Tiruvalla to Chennai by train. From there, she flew to Ahmedabad, where she was scheduled to board the flight to London. Her name was on the passenger list. Aneesh, a resident in Tiruvalla, explained that Renjitha worked in London and had returned home after securing a government job. She had taken leave from her new job to resign from her position in London. She is survived by her mother and two children, studying in grades 10 and 7.