New Delhi: Even as an investigation has begun into the plane crash that killed Maharashtra deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar and four others in Baramati on Wednesday, men on social media have already identified the person responsible: the woman co-pilot.
Captain Shambhavi Pathak, who was among the dead, has been trolled on social media for “crashing” the plane.
“The girl especially X chromosome has not yet learnt to ride a scooter and if she is given a plane then this is what will happen,” Alok Anand, a user on X said. He added: “Sorry for Shambhavi but employing women in male-dominated jobs is a kind of suicidal work, to which the government should pay special attention.”
Pathak completed her education from Air Force Bal Bharati School. She did her BSc in aeronautics, aviation, and aerospace science and technology from the University of Mumbai, media reports said. According to Deccan Herald, Pathak got her aviation training from New Zealand International Commercial Pilot Academy.
In the private charter operated by Delhi-based VSR Ventures Pvt Ltd, the pilot-in-command was Sumit Kapur, with over 15,000 flight hours; co-pilot Shambhavi Pathak had around 1,500 hours.
After Anand’s tweet faced backlash, he tweeted again saying, “Sorry guys for my misogyny, but this is my ideology. I think it has something to do with genes, capability, and hard work. And yes, I know she proved herself in the Air Academy who am I to blame her? But just think, does this gender even master the scooter ride?”
A young pilot lost her life in the plane crash today.
However Alok Anand👇🏼
Girls – dont ever have or choose an Alok Anand in your life. pic.twitter.com/qxSHdqxI31
— Chinmayi Sripaada (@Chinmayi) January 28, 2026
His comments stirred the cauldron of sexism with several users supporting him, while others voicing their concern for the women in his family.
Anand has since deleted his X account.
Several accounts on X also used an old tweet from Pawar to target the woman pilot.
In a post shared in January 2024, Pawar had said, “When we travel by helicopter or plane, if our plane or helicopter lands smoothly, we understand that the pilot is a woman.”
When we travel by helicopter or plane, if our plane or helicopter lands smoothly, we understand that the pilot is a woman.#NCPWomenPower
— Ajit Pawar (@AjitPawarSpeaks) January 18, 2024
An account that goes by the name of “The Skin Doctor”, which has been routinely called out for targeting women and spreading fake news, replied to Pawar’s two-year-old tweet with “Om Shanti.”
The NCM India Council For Men Affairs, led by its national president KD Jha, also targeted Pathak in a now-deleted post: “Today also there was a woman pilot with him but still…Destiny!”
Another account with the name ‘Dilli Dialogue’ said, “Interestingly, today a woman pilot Shubhi Pathak was flying his plane.”
One Rayhaan posted a pic of Pathak with the comment on Pawar’s tweet: “Bro went down serving feminism.”
A user named The Professor (@Rads0071) wrote: “Bro tried proving #NCPWomenPower but ended up dead in a plane flown by a woman. Sad”
Several social media users targeted her with the jibe that “Women belong in the kitchen”.
The trolling elicited strong reactions in Pathak’s defence, with several handles calling out the misogyny.
People labeling all female pilots as useless over a single crash need to realize that all these deadly crashes had Indian male pilots at the controls, including the deadliest Ahmedabad crash. Does that mean I can generalize and say Indian male pilots are useless?
FYI, Ajit… https://t.co/TBEo7zWNyb pic.twitter.com/X1JbTSun1d
— Shweta (@swe1taaaa) January 28, 2026
(Edited by Prashant Dixit)