Maharashtra Dy CM Ajit Pawar, four others killed in plane crash in Pune
Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar and four others died when their Learjet 45 crash-landed at Baramati airport. Poor visibility and runway conditions were cited. Leaders across parties expressed grief; Maharashtra declared three days of state mourning
Pune: Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar and four other persons were killed after an aircraft carrying them crashed in Pune district on Wednesday morning, officials said.
The Learjet 46, operated by Delhi-based VSR Ventures, crash-landed at the Baramati airport. There were five people onboard, including the crew members, according to the aviation regulator DGCA.
A senior official said that the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) will visit the crash site and investigate the accident.
According to Flight Radar, the flight took off from Mumbai at 8.10 am and it disappeared from radar around 8.45 am. The aircraft crashed at 8.50 am, a police official said.
Pawar, 66, was travelling to Baramati from Mumbai to address public meetings as part of the campaign for the February 5 zilla parishad elections in the state.
Superintendent of Police, Sandip Singh Gill, said that after the crash, there was a fire. “People onboard were immediately taken to the hospital,” he said.
A source said that the aircraft pilot had mentioned about poor visibility near the runwaybefore the aircraft attempted the landing.
The Learjet 45 (LJ45), a mid-size business jet aircraft produced by the Learjet Division of Bombardier Aerospace, went off the runway while attempting to land at Baramati airport and burst into flames, the source said.
Pawar is survived by wife Sunetra, a member of the Rajya Sabha and two sons, Parth and Jay.
His Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) had contested the recent municipal corporation elections in Pune and Pimpri Chinchwad in alliance with his uncle Sharad Pawar’s NCP (SP).
President Droupadi Murmu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and several other leaders cutting across party lines from all over the country expressed grief over Ajit Pawar’s demise.
In a post on X, Murmu said Pawar will always be remembered for his special contribution to the development of Maharashtra, especially in the cooperative sector.
PM Modi said Ajit Pawar was a leader of the people with a strong grassroots level connect and his death in the plane crash was untimely and very shocking.
Amit Shah, in his condolence message, said Ajit Pawar’s demise is a personal loss not only for the NDA family but also for him.
Modi and Shah also spoke to Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to enquire about the incident.
Fadnavis described Ajit Pawar’s tragic death as unbelievable, and said he had lost a good friend.
Ajit Pawar’s death has left a void that will never be filled, he said. “After working closely together, it is unbelievable that he is no more,” Fadnavis told reporters.
He described Pawar as a people’s leader who knew the state well and had a deep understanding of the issues in Maharashtra. He said it takes several years to build and establish such leadership.
Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde also described the death of his colleague as sad and unfortunate, and said the aircraft accident will be probed.
According to an eyewitness, the ill-fated aircraft carrying Ajit Pawar appeared “a bit unstable in the air” and exploded the moment it crashed on the ground.
Another person who witnessed the incident said that after the crash, the aircraft burst into flames, followed by four to five consecutive blasts.
The Maharashtra government declared a three-day state mourning till January 30, during which the national flag will be flown at half-mast on all buildings.
There will be no official entertainment during the mourning period.
