top of page

By:

Correspondent

23 August 2024 at 4:29:04 pm

Exit that shocked the nation

Deputy CM Ajit Pawar, four others killed in plane crash; Probe begins into the reasons for the crash Mumbai: Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar and four other persons on board an aircraft were killed after it crashed near the Baramati airport in Pune district on Wednesday. Pawar had taken off from Mumbai in the morning to address four rallies in the day in Pune district for the February 5 zilla parishad elections. The others killed in the tragedy were Captain Sumit Kapoor, who had a...

Exit that shocked the nation

Deputy CM Ajit Pawar, four others killed in plane crash; Probe begins into the reasons for the crash Mumbai: Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar and four other persons on board an aircraft were killed after it crashed near the Baramati airport in Pune district on Wednesday. Pawar had taken off from Mumbai in the morning to address four rallies in the day in Pune district for the February 5 zilla parishad elections. The others killed in the tragedy were Captain Sumit Kapoor, who had a flying experience of 15,000 hours, co-pilot Capt. Shambhavi Pathak with 1,500 hours of flying, Personal Security Officer (PSO) Vidip Jadhav and flight attendant Pinky Mali. The government released a statement detailing the sequence of events that led to the crash and Pawar's death. The aircraft, a Learjet, was cleared for landing in Baramati on Wednesday morning after a go-around due to poor visibility, but having finally received a clearance it did not give any read-back' to the ATC, and moments later burst into flames on the edge of the runway. In aviation parlance, a go-around is a standard procedure where a pilot discontinues a landing attempt and initiates a climb to fly another approach. It is used when a landing cannot be completed safely due to factors like poor weather, an unstable approach, or traffic on the runway. It is a proactive safety measure rather than an emergency. In aviation, a readback is a crucial safety procedure where a pilot repeats back the essential parts of a message or instruction received from Air Traffic Control (ATC). It acts as a "closed-loop" communication system, ensuring that the controller's instructions were heard and understood correctly by the flight crew. The aircraft was trying to land amid poor visibility, Civil Aviation Minister K Rammohan Naidu told reporters in Pune. The statement by his ministry recounted the final minutes of the ill-fated Learjet 45 belonging to VSR Ventures Pvt Ltd that crashed, leading to the death of all five persons on board, including Pawar. Fatal Flight The ill-fated aircraft was a Bombardier Learjet 45, a twin-engine business jet commonly used for corporate and charter travel. Designed to carry between six and nine passengers, the Learjet 45 has a range of approximately 2,000 nautical miles and is powered by twin turbofan engines. The aircraft involved in the crash belonged to a charter operator and was being used for a non-scheduled private flight.According to preliminary information from aviation authorities and Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) sources, the aircraft encountered severe weather conditions while approaching Baramati. Dense fog enveloped the Pune–Baramati region at the time, drastically reducing visibility and complicating the landing procedure. Probe Begins A team from the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) has reached the Baramati crash site to launch a forensic probe into the VSR Venture's Learjet 45 aircraft accident. "The investigation team has reached the (crash) site. They are on the work," the AAIB official told PTI. The official, however, declined to share further details. Earlier in the day, AAIB, which has the mandate to investigate all accidents and serious incidents/incidents involving aircraft with a gross weight of 2,250 kg or turbojet aircraft, was handed the probe into the crash. The aircraft, bearing registration VT-SSK, was being operated by the Delhi-based non-scheduled operator VSR Ventures Pvt Ltd. The crew was advised to descend in visual meteorological conditions at the pilot's discretion, the Civil Aviation Ministry said in its statement. At that time, the winds were calm, and visibility was around 3,000 metres, it said. Baramati airfield does not have an instrumental landing system - a precision radio navigation system that provides short-range guidance to an aircraft, allowing it to approach a runway at night, during bad weather and poor visibility. Ajit Pawar's last rites will be held with full state honours on Thursday in Baramati. Union Home Minister Amit Shah is expected to attend the funeral, which will be held at Vidya Pratishthan ground at 11 am. The Maharashtra government on Wednesday declared three days of state mourning across state till January 30 as a mark of respect to Ajit Pawar. The national flag will be flown at half-mast on all buildings where it is flown regularly. There will be no official entertainment during the mourning period. “Ajit's death was a big shock for Maharashtra, which has lost a hardworking and efficient leader. This loss is irreparable. Not all things are in our hands. A stand was floated from Kolkata that there is some politics involved in this incident. But there is nothing like this. There is no politics in it. It was an accident. I request not to bring politics into it.” Sharad Pawar, President, NCP (SP)

‘My father has been shot dead’

Dombivli resident Atul Marathe shares what he went through when his nephew informed him of the attack on the night of the attack


Atul Marathe
Atul Marathe

Mumbai: Little did he know when his mobile phone rang at 10 pm on Tuesday April 22 that he will hear something that is beyond his imagination. Dombivli resident Atul Marathe received a call from his 21-year-old nephew Harshal Lele called him and said, “My father has been shot dead.” Speaking to The Perfect Voice, Marathe said, “On Tuesday evening, as soon as I heard about the news, I tried contacting everyone to find out if everyone was safe. Harshal in the first told me that all were safe. Later in the night he called me and told me that my maternal cousin Hemant Joshi, my brother-in-law Sanjay Lele and my friend Atul Mone were no more.”


Sanjay Lele
Sanjay Lele

Hemant Joshi, Sanjay Lele (44) and Atul Mone (52), all hailing from different areas of Dombivli city in Maharashtra's Thane district, were among the 26 persons killed as terrorists struck a prime tourist location of Pahalgam in south Kashmir on Tuesday. The three of them were closely related to Atul Marathe said, “Harsha shared horrible account of the attack. They were enjoying their outing at Baisaran meadows. They were eating, having fun. All the three families knew each other personally. Suddenly a group of men looking like terrorists came running from the forest area and fired in the air first. Everyone started running here and there out of panic.”


Marathe further said, “Tourists were completely blank, and had no time to think. Suddenly the terrorists appeared at a distance of 100 metres from the eatery and they could feel death approaching. Harshal said cruel is a small word to describe what transpired. They systematically asked those present at the spot to segregate themselves as Muslims and Hindus. When Hindus separated themselves from others, they just shot at them from close range. Muslims were spared. Harshal said that they had planned intentions to kill only the men. They asked the women and the children to lie down on the ground.”


“My cousin Hemant Joshi was shot in his chest, my brother-in-law Sanjay Lele was shot in his head, my friend Atul Mone was shot in his stomach,” says Marathe.


Since the location is inaccessible to the Pahalgam town, although they received help from the horse guiders and the locals to head back to the town it was very difficult for the tourists to trust them says Marathe.


He said, “Harshal told us that all the pony guides told us to start running towards the town to ensure safety. Locals were helpful. However, Harshal said that they were so scared that they had trust issues. Since all were Muslims, they didn’t know if those offering help could be trusted. They walked for five hours  had to depend on unknown locals for being escorted to the town safely.


Dombivli observes bandh

Thane: Commercial establishments were shut and vehicles remained off roads in Dombivli town on Thursday as residents observed a spontaneous bandh to protest against the terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam town.


Three cousins - Sanjay Lele (50), Hemant Joshi (45) and Atul Mone (43) - hailing from Dombivli in Thane district were among the 26 persons killed in the ghastly terror attack on Tuesday.


The streets of the town, which would be bustling with hectic activities on any other day, wore a deserted look on Thursday.


Most of the auto-rickshaws, buses as well as private vehicles remained off roads while majority of the commercial establishments were closed.


Small groups of people were seen at the corners of some streets and roads in the town, with conversations revolving around the Pahalgam tragedy and the loss of lives, including three persons from Dombivli who were their families' breadwinners.


Earlier, various shops, offices and local markets started closing from Wednesday afternoon as a mark of protest against the terror attack and to express solidarity with families of the victims.

The bandh, supported by all major political parties and civil groups, was observed voluntarily by the public.


Thousands of people on Wednesday evening attended the last rites of the three Dombivli residents after their bodies were flown to Mumbai earlier in the day.


Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, accompanied by BJP leader Ravindra Chavan and local Shiv Sena MP Shrikant Shinde, visited the Bhagshala ground to pay the last respects to the deceased.

Angry slogans against Pakistan were raised as Fadnavis paid floral tributes, with many people demanding a total ban on all Pakistani products. 

Comments

bottom of page