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Families of victims of the Air India 171 plane crash have alleged that the airline is threatening them over compensation claims.
Air India 171 crashed in Ahmedabad on June 12 (PTI/File)
Weeks after the Air India-171 plane crash killed 241 people onboard in Ahmedabad, the families of the victims have accused the airline of pressuring them during the initial compensation process, alleging that they were being threatened with “no compensation” if they failed to complete a questionnaire provided by the company.
They have also claimed that they were forced to sign papers disclosing their financial dependency on the deceased member of their families in an alleged attempt to cut compensation payments.
This comes weeks after all but one of the 242 passengers and crew members on board the ill-fated flight from Ahmedabad to London died in a crash of the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner moments after the aircraft took off.
A UK-based law firm, Stewarts, has been officially hired by families of more than 40 passengers – both in the UK and India – who died in the crash. The firm is working with Nanavati and Nanavati, a law firm in Ahmedabad, to support Indian families in assisting in their claims against Air India, Boeing, and other potentially responsible parties, an official said.
The law firm, in a statement, said that its clients were told by Air India that they have to complete a questionnaire to receive an advance payment, “forcing them to fill out this questionnaire in intense heat with no guidance on the terms and questions within it”.
“We have now heard that Air India is following up with families and pressuring them to complete the questionnaire under threats of receiving no compensation,” the statement said.
This questionnaire is reportedly required just to get an advance payment.
The law firm said that the questionnaire provided by Air India demands consist of legal terms — words that have specific meanings in law — and claimed that the airline was not explaining the terms to the families, in a bid to slash compensation in the future.
“Our clients have shown us the questionnaire. It demands legally significant information using terms with a legal definition which is not being told to families. The information being asked could be used against families by Air India in the future, even though few families will understand how the questions should be interpreted or the test that should be applied for each of the terms used,” the firm said.
The firm said that they have advised their clients (victim families) not to complete the form, as the company will seek payment for them.
“We are shocked and appalled that Air India is pressurising families for this information when they are at their most vulnerable,” the statement said.
Ananya Bhatnagar, Correspondent at CNN-News18, reports on various legal issues and cases in lower courts and the Delhi High Court. He has covered the hanging of the Nirbhaya gang-rape convicts, JNU violence, De…Read More
Ananya Bhatnagar, Correspondent at CNN-News18, reports on various legal issues and cases in lower courts and the Delhi High Court. He has covered the hanging of the Nirbhaya gang-rape convicts, JNU violence, De… Read More
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