India must reject the black box handover, ground Boeing flights, and call out the cover-up. The horrifying crash of the Ahmedabad–London Air India Boeing flight, barely minutes after takeoff, is no longer just a tragic aviation accident. It is increasingly becoming evident that sabotage, not technical failure, lies at the heart of this catastrophe, which claimed 262 lives, including 29 young medical students who had gathered at the hospital the aircraft crashed into. And yet, even as bodies were being recovered from the wreckage, the Trump administration rushed four so-called “experts” from Boeing to India. For what? To assist in a neutral investigation—or to pre-empt the truth from surfacing? India must refuse to play along. Prime Minister Narendra Modi must stand firm and refuse to hand over the black box to these American “specialists.” India’s expert team—comprising the Civil Aviation Ministry, DRDO, and seasoned forensic aviation analysts—is more than capable of decoding what happened. The truth must emerge, but it must be India’s truth, not Boeing’s PR version of it. The United States is not behaving like a friend. In recent weeks, the Trump administration, under growing international scrutiny and domestic confusion, backed the induction of Pakistan as Deputy Chair of the UN Counter-Terror Committee. Yes, Pakistan, the same terror-exporting state that India has fought tooth and nail for decades. Simultaneously, the US-backed IMF bailout to Islamabad has raised eyebrows. Why fund a rogue state when India, a democratic and responsible power, is undermined? It’s part of a disturbing pattern. The West, led by Washington, is increasingly uncomfortable with India’s assertiveness—economically, militarily, and diplomatically. And now, with Boeing’s reputation in shambles and American arrogance under fire, it seeks to weaponize tragedy to suppress accountability. India must refuse. The black box must stay in Indian custody.
One cannot ignore the uncomfortable question: why did Air India, now owned by the Tata Group, outsource maintenance of its Boeing fleet to a Turkish firm, in which Ankara holds a 45% stake? Turkey is no friend of India. Its open alignment with Pakistan, anti-India lobbying at global forums, and recent support to Islamabad in military matters—especially drone technology—should have made it a red flag, not a business partner. Yet, under the post-Ratan Tata leadership, the Group seems more concerned with global appeasement than national security. According to Emirates aviation technician Abhiram Singh, while Dubai insists on three maintenance checks a day, India struggles to complete even one, especially when foreign firms are handling the work. “There’s no guarantee engineers will even show up,” he claims. That’s not just a procedural lapse. It’s a national risk. Warnings from veteran aviation experts about the recurring safety vulnerabilities of certain Boeing models—including the very flight that crashed—were ignored. This was not a random accident. It was a systemic failure, possibly aided by hostile sabotage. India must now escalate. Prime Minister Modi should order the immediate grounding of all Boeing aircraft operating in Indian skies, pending a full safety audit by indigenous agencies. Such a move will not only protect Indian passengers from further risk but also hit Boeing—and by extension, Washington—where it hurts most: the pocket. Let the world see that India will not compromise the lives of its citizens to prop up collapsing American corporations or soothe fragile egos in the White House. This will also send a stern message to the Tatas and any other Indian entity prioritizing foreign contracts over national safety that such compromises are unacceptable. This is not just about one crash. It is about whether India will allow others to dictate its truth, manipulate its evidence, and use its airspace for diplomatic games. This is about sovereignty. The United States cannot expect India to behave like a strategic ally on one hand, and like a colonial outpost on the other. Mr. Modi, your leadership is tested not in times of comfort, but in moments of fire. This is one such moment. Stand tall. Protect Indian lives. Assert Indian truth. Ground Boeing. Keep the black box. And say no to American interference.
