Nidhi Chaphekar - Brussels
The woman on the right has been identified as Nidhi Chaphekar of Jet Airways Reuters

Shortly after the Brussels attack on 22 March, an image of a woman whose clothes were torn to shreds began circulating the media. The woman has been identified as Nidhi Chaphekar, an inflight manager of the Indian airline Jet Airways, who is now recovering in hospital.

Chaphekar, 45, was one of two crew members of Jet Airways to be injured in the Brussels terrorist attacks at Zaventem International Airport. The image shows her covered in dust and bleeding from her head, with her uniform torn to expose her upper body.

Following her being identified as an Indian national, the Times of India printed the image of her, prompting widespread criticism. Many have taken to Twitter to condemn the use of the image, which they say violates her privacy and displays "insensitivity" in the wake of the tragedy. One twitter user said: "The photo of Nidhi Chaphekar in your newspaper is in bad taste. Please keep in mind the modesty of a woman before publishing."

Some have called on the Times of India to issue an apology, while others have said that the image should have been blurred out if they wanted to use it. Some newspapers in India have now begun using a blurred version of the photo.

Meanwhile, the image of Chaphekar sparked a similar discussion in the UK. David Banks, one of the UK's leading media law trainers, wrote for IBTimes UK: "One picture being shared from Brussels... was of a woman, covered in blood, her clothes blown apart revealing her upper body, looking at the camera. Do her feelings of being photographed in this way count for anything?"

Meanwhile, Chaphekar's family is believed to have been flown to Brussels to be with her. On 23 March she was recovering from surgery for burns to her body.

A spokesperson for Jet Airways said: "Based on latest updates from Brussels, our colleagues Nidhi and Amit are recovering well. We look forward to welcome them home soon."

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