Ganesh Chaturthi pandals are usually praised for their creativity, but a pandal in Behrampura, Ahmedabad, has sparked a heated debate online. Unlike traditional festive themes, this pandal had depicted the victims of the June 12 Air India plane crash and the rescue efforts that followed, recreating the crash site with sand, bricks, and other materials.
The setup featured a crashed plane with smoke and fumes, a partially destroyed building, and medical staff carrying bodies to depict the rescue operations. A video of the pandal is being viral on social media, which has already crossed 8.7 million views on Instagram.
Social Media Reactions
One social media user appreciated the effort but expressed mixed emotions, “Everyone has worked very hard, respect to the effort, but seeing it, I feel sad again”, he wrote.
Another user criticised the choice of theme by commenting “So insensitive! This is not a theme to create!.”
Some were shocked by the graphic depiction of tragedy. “They even have dead bodies and severed heads lying around, are these guys insane??”, a user wrote.
Another commented, “It's like questioning to god how you let this happen.”
Several users argued that the theme was inappropriate for a festive celebration. One wrote, “That's not good, why this mishap theme, theme should be positive.”
Others felt it disrespected the families of victims, “Very insensitive towards the victims family.. you guys could have displayed the deceased picture & offer prayers for them.. this is nothing but only for social media”, one user wrote.
(Also Read: Ganesh Chaturthi 2025: 21 Names Of Lord Ganesha And Their Divine Meanings)
The social media controversy showed the fine line between creative expression and sensitivity. While some praised the pandal for acknowledging the victims and the efforts of rescue personnel, others felt that depicting such a tragedy in a festival setting was disrespectful and unnecessary.
Traditionally people see Ganesh Chaturthi pandals as joyous and positive but depiction in such a way was bizarre for most of the social media users. The Behrampura pandal has sparked online debates about the ethics of representing real-life tragedies in public displays.
Authorities and local officials have not commented anything yet regarding the social media outrage.
