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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)

Symbol of political pride, power and pragmatism

Mumbai: Ajit Ashatai Anantrao Pawar - who straddled Maharashtra’s political landscape like a colossus for nearly 45 years - was snuffed out in a plane crash in Pune early on Wednesday, plunging his Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) into precarity and the ruling Mahayuti government into turmoil.


The nephew of Nationalist Congress Party (SP) President Sharad Govindrao Pawar, Ajit Pawar was 66 and is survived by his wife Sunetra, an MP, and two sons, Parth and Jay. Parth, a wannabe politician, is a bachelor, while Jay married Rutuja Pravin Patil in December 2025.


Born with a ‘political silver spoon’ into the formidable Pawar family, Ajit Pawar’s political trajectory spanned Baramati’s village politics to the cooperative sector, and then to state - and briefly, national - roles. The crowning glory of his career was - being elected Deputy Chief Minister a record six times.


The ‘Pawar-ful’ surname raised towering expectations from Ajit Pawar, thanks largely to his 'Kaka', Sharad Pawar’s ascent as the state’s youngest Chief Minister at the age of 38 in 1978. Yet, Ajit Pawar had to struggle for years to carve an independent niche under Sharad Pawar’s ever-looming giant penumbra, finally emerging from the long eclipse in July 2023 following a vertical split in the NCP.


Humble Grassroots

Rising from humble grassroots political engagement, he quickly grasped the pulse of rural Maharashtra and the state’s political dynamics, especially during the era of coalition politics that has dominated the scene for over a quarter century.

Ajit Pawar concentrated his official power on initiatives ranging from roads, dams and irrigation networks to tough financial decisions. Aided by his brash bluntness style of functioning, a loafing officialdom sprang into action to avoid his dark scowls or wrath.


Over decades as an MLA (eight times), MP and in other key positions, Ajit Pawar mastered the art, science and mechanisms of governance - the movement of files, the working of departments, how decisions are translated into policy and finally implemented to reach the last man standing.


En route, his decisions courted multiple controversies and dubious charges, yet he dashed towards his destinations unperturbed. These included corruption allegations, big and small intra-party and external political confrontations, and his unabashed yet unfulfilled desire to become Chief Minister - all of which marked him as an all-weather survivor.


Iron Control

A retired official recalled his iron control over the bureaucracy, especially during his tenure handling the critical Finance portfolio of the country’s largest state economy. He focused sharply on rural road infrastructure, irrigation projects, water supply schemes, and extensive canal and dam networks.


These initiatives were coupled with strict fiscal discipline, firm budgeting and a ringmaster-style implementation - a tribute to his administrative acumen and efficiency. However, in recent years, he succumbed to realpolitik pressures that not only raised question marks but also catapulted the state’s debt burden to record highs, but he airily brushed aside all censure.

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