The final farewell to Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister and NCP president Ajit Pawar will take place on Thursday in Baramati, his home turf, with full state honours. Pawar died in a tragic aircraft accident earlier this week.
His mortal remains have been placed at the Vidya Pratishtan grounds, allowing party workers, supporters and residents to pay their last respects. Large crowds are expected to gather at the venue through the day.
PM Modi, Amit Shah, CM Fadnavis among leaders likely to attend
Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and several senior leaders from across the political spectrum are expected to attend the funeral. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah are also likely to be present.
Maharashtra observes three days of state mourning
Following Pawar’s death, the Maharashtra government has declared three days of state mourning. As part of the observance, the national flag will remain at half-mast on all government buildings across the state.
AAIB takes over probe; police file accidental death report
Meanwhile, police have filed an accidental death report in connection with the crash, while the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) has assumed charge of the investigation.
Ajit Pawar and four others lost their lives when a Learjet 45 aircraft went down near Baramati Airport on Wednesday morning. The aircraft, registered as VT-SSK, was operated by Delhi-based VSR Ventures.
Crash moments and past safety concerns involving operator
Those on board included Pawar’s personal security officer Vidip Jadhav, flight attendant Pinky Mali, and two pilots — Captain Sumit Kapur and First Officer Shambhavi Pathak.
According to details shared by the Ministry of Civil Aviation, the jet had received clearance to land on Runway 11 at 8:43 a.m., after the crew aborted an earlier landing attempt. However, air traffic controllers did not receive any response from the cockpit following the landing clearance.
Within a minute, at around 8:44 a.m., officials on the ground noticed flames near the edge of the tabletop runway, indicating the crash.
The incident has once again drawn attention to VSR Ventures, which operates a fleet of 17 aircraft. The Ministry noted that another Learjet 45 belonging to the same operator, registered as VT-DBL, was involved in a separate landing accident at Mumbai Airport on September 14, 2023 — a case that is still under investigation.
(With inputs from Agencies)
