June 12, 2025, has been the darkest day in Indian history, as many families lost their near and dear ones in the Ahmedabad plane crash. For the unversed, Air India 171 flight took off from the Ahmedabad airport, with 230 passengers, 10 cabin crew members and 2 pilots to fly from Ahmedabad to London, but soon after take-off, the flight crashed into residential quarters of the BJ Medical College. According to multiple reports, the horrific plane crash took away more than 265 innocent lives, including on-board passengers and medical students of BJ Medical College. Just like many, Payal Khatik, the daughter of an auto driver, on-boarded the flight to London with a bag full of dreams, but she lost her life in the tragic crash.
Payal Khatik took the Air India flight to pursue her higher studies in London
Payal Khatik was a resident of Udaipur, Rajasthan. She took the Air India flight on June 12, 2025, in the morning and was very excited as it was her first time on a plane. Payal left the country in order to pursue her higher education in London. Her father, Suresh Khatik is an autorickshaw driver. As per multiple reports, Payal’s family took a loan for her higher education in London. Talking to ANI, her father said:
“After completing her college, she stayed with us… she wanted to study further in London. So we took out loans to support her education there…”
Payal was the first member of her family to travel abroad to study. According to a report by IANS, Payal originally belonged to Gogunda village in Udaipur, Rajasthan, but she later shifted to Himatnagar, Gujarat and lived there with her brother and two sisters. Speaking with IANS, her cousin brother, Bharat Chauhan said:
“She was my uncle’s daughter and the first member of our family to travel abroad, to London. She had completed her BTech from Udaipur and was going for MTech. But this tragic incident happened. Our family is deeply saddened…”
Payal Khatik used to give tuition to support her family
Speaking with ANI, a relative of Payal Khatik shared how they rushed back to the Ahmedabad airport after hearing about the plane crash. He also said that Payal’s family’s financial condition was not at all good, and she used to give tuition in order to support her family. In his words:
“Our relative Payal Khatik was in that flight. She was the daughter of our relative Suresh Khatik. We all went to see her off for her flight. When we learned about the plane crash, we travelled again to Ahmedabad…Our DNA samples have been taken…The financial condition of the family is not good. Suresh Khatik supports his livelihood by pulling a loading rickshaw. Payal used to take care of the family by giving tuition to the students.”
According to a report by NDTV, talking to the media, Sushila Pathak, a family friend of Payal, shared that she was an educated and well-behaved girl. She told the media that Payal had been tutoring her son for the past six years and left the tuition before leaving for London to pursue her higher education.
A heartfelt condolences to Payal Khatik’s family.
Also Read: Man Came To Visit His Sick Mom In India, With Wife, 2 Kids: 4 Of Them Died In Ahmedabad Plane Crash