A clarification

Times of India  31.10.2018

Many of our readers have objected to the headline “189 feared dead as plane flown by Indian crashes into Java Sea”. Nowhere in our report was there even the slightest suggestion that the crash may have been caused by pilot error. In fact, the report quotes a senior airline official to say he was “an experienced B737 pilot with impeccable credentials”. Besides reporting on the crash itself, TOI sent a reporter to Captain Suneja’s home and quoted friends saying he was a “gem” and that “flying was his passion”. Our report described him as a “proud pilot and a dedicated family man” whose death was not only a tragedy for his family but also “the entire neighbourhood”. Clearly, it was never our intent to be insensitive. As an Indian paper, we look for Indian connections in global stories -- the overwhelming majority of them are happy, inspiring stories of Indians who've done outstandingly well in their respective fields of work or study. But there are also some sad stories -- of Indian passengers in a plane crash, or Indians being among those killed in a terror attack in another country. The death of an Indian pilot on Sunday fell in that category. For us, it brought home a tragic incident that took place thousands of miles away. Having said that, we sincerely apologise for any hurt we may have caused. That's last thing we intended to do.