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)

Terror ‘leaks’ via western borders since 2004

A security personnel during a search operation following a terror attack at Pahalgam, in Anantnag district, Jammu and Kashmir on Thursday. Pic: PTI
A security personnel during a search operation following a terror attack at Pahalgam, in Anantnag district, Jammu and Kashmir on Thursday. Pic: PTI

Mumbai/Pune: For over two decades, terrorism is believed to ‘leak’ into India from the western borders with Pakistan, although a whopping 42 militant groups, including the Lashkar-E-Taiba, are banned but remain active in the country, as per a RTI response.

 

While the maximum number of terrorists were eliminated during the previous Congress-led UPA regime (2004-2014), the current Bharatiya Janata Party-led NDA (2014 onwards) succeeded in curbing border terrorism, but major incidents keep happening.

 

The details of the terror strikes that occurred in India from 2004-2022 were provided by the Ministry of Home Affairs CPIO (Jammu & Kashmir) Kabiraj Sabar, to Pune RTI activist Prafful Sarda.

 

The stark statistics reveal that during the 10-year-rule of UPA led by ex-Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh, there were 9,321 terror strikes with 4,005 terrorists killed and another 878 nabbed.

Under the NDA’s regime from 2014 till Aug. 2022 (around eight years) headed by PM Narendra Modi, there were 2,132 terror incidents with 1,538 extremists eliminated and 1,432 arrested.

 

These add up to a staggering 11,453 terror strikes, 5,543 terrorists killed and 2,310 extremists arrested by the Indian Army and other security forces, said Sarda.

 

Sarda said that the figures - purportedly pertaining to only Jammu & Kashmir region - are shocking and indicate the sheer vulnerability of the country's western borders.

 

However, details of terror incidents on the northern and north-eastern borders were not provided in the RTI reply.

 

“The highest number of terrorists were killed by the Indian Army and security forces who encountered the most terror strikes during the UPA government. Admittedly, after the 'surgical strike' (Oct 2016), the BJP regime apparently succeeded in crushing the terror backbone as attacks and killings dropped,” Sarda said.

 

“The armed forces' valour vis-à-vis radicals in the past two decades is salute-worthy. After the numbing hit in Pahalgam, they will need to hound and gun down the desperadoes who may be prowling around on the western borders,” said Sarda.

 

Despite the past glorious successes, incidents like Pahalgam - which specifically targeted tourists with a religious angle emerging - pose bigger challenges both to the security forces and the current government, he averred.

  

Terror dashboard in UPA government (2004-2014):

2004 - 2,565 incidents and 976 killed;

2005 - 1,990 attacks and 917 eliminated;

2006 - 1,667 incidents and 591 neutralised;

2007 - 1,092 attacks and 472 killed;

2008 - 708 incidents, 339 eliminated and 305 arrests;

2009 - 499 attacks, 239 neutralised and 187 nabbed;

2010 - 368 incidents, 232 killed and 155 nabbed;

2011 - 195 attacks, 100 eliminated and 145 nabbed;

2012 - 124 incidents, 72 neutralised and 150 arrested;

2013 - 113 attacks, 67 killed and 86 nabbed.


Extremist dashboard in NDA regime (2014-2022):

2014 - 151 strikes, 110 killed, 70 nabbed;

2015 - 143 incidents, 108 eliminated and 67 nabbed;

2016 - 223 strikes, 150 neutralised and 79 arrested;

2017 - 279 incidents, 213 killed and 97 arrested;

2018 - 417 strikes, 257 eliminated and 105 nabbed;

2019 - 255 incidents, 157 neutralised and 115 arrested;

2020 - 244 strikes, 221 killed and 328 arrests;

2021 - 229 incidents, 180 eliminated and 311 nabbed;

2022 (till August) - 191 strikes, 142 killed and 260 nabbed.

Comments

bottom of page