Ahmedabad: 600 cops raced against time to save lives

In the Air India AI-171 flight crash incident, Ahmedabad police played a pivotal role by creating a green corridor within an hour to enable swift rescue operations. The police also collaborated with radio jockeys and used social media to issue traffic advisories and prevent civilian entry on the designated rescue routes, ensuring smooth passage for ambulances, fire brigades, and SDRF/NDRF teams. A total of 600 police personnel were deployed to establish a two-layered green corridor in the first critical hour.

Ahmedabad Additional Commissioner of Police (Special Branch), Vidhi Chaudhary, explained to mid-day how the team responded swiftly to the emergency. Chaudhary also confirmed that the pilots attempted an emergency landing in a green, open area to minimise casualties. The Ahmedabad police control room received an alert about a missing aircraft at 1.43 pm on June 12. Moments later, a massive blast and fire confirmed the crash. The Meghani Nagar police team reached the site at 1.48 pm, with DCP (Crime) IPS Ajit Rajian of the Cyber Crime branch among the first responders.

Vidhi Chaudhary, Ahmedabad, Additional Commissioner of Police (Special Branch)

“After receiving the crash alert, our priority was to immediately create a green corridor with two security layers covering a one-kilometre radius. Under the guidance of Commissioner of Police Gyanendra Singh Malik, over 600 officers — including DCPs, ACPs, senior PIs, constables, and traffic police — were deployed. We worked with the traffic department to clear all congestion,” Chaudhary said.

“We barricaded the zone and collaborated with local radio jockeys to urge citizens to avoid the area. Our cyber team also used social media for real-time traffic advisories,” she added. Two mini helpline centres were established — one at the Civil Hospital and another at the crash site. An emergency helpline number was activated for families, which received 129 distress calls, mostly from people searching for loved ones. Callers were directed to the Civil Hospital, Ahmedabad.

The crash site, engulfed in flames, recorded temperatures close to 1000°C. “It was nearly impossible to enter, but within the first hour, we had deployed 10 police inspectors and 45 officers on-site. Dedicated corridors were also created for FSL (Forensic Science Laboratory) teams — to Gandhinagar for DNA samples from the deceased, and to Ahmedabad Civil Hospital for samples from family members,” Chaudhary explained.

Meanwhile, the Cyber Crime Department worked to contain misinformation. Fake posts falsely claiming a terror attack were circulating online, but the cyber police acted quickly to debunk and halt the spread. Chaudhary concluded, “Partial autopsies were conducted under the NDMA Act. The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) is conducting the main investigation. The flight’s black box has been recovered and is in their custody.”