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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)

‘We removed our bindis and started chanting Allahu Akbar'

  • PTI
  • Apr 24, 2025
  • 2 min read
Family members of Santosh Jagdale mourn after his mortal remains were brought to his residence in Pune on Thursday. Pic: PTI
Family members of Santosh Jagdale mourn after his mortal remains were brought to his residence in Pune on Thursday. Pic: PTI

Pune: A Pune-based woman, whose husband was killed by terrorists in Pahalgam, on Thursday recounted how she and other women in the group quickly removed bindis from their foreheads and began chanting "Allahu Akbar" when they saw the attackers asking men to recite 'azaan'.


But the frantic attempts to hide their religious identity failed to help as the gun-wielding terrorists did not spare the woman's husband and his friend, who was also from Pune.


Sangita Ganbote, the wife of Kaustubh Ganbote who was among the 26 persons killed by terrorists at Baisaran near Pahalgam on Tuesday, also said that when a local Muslim man confronted the attackers and asked why they were killing innocent people, they stripped him and shot him dead.


Ganbote recounted her harrowing experience to NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar during his visit to the bereaved family members where he paid homage to the departed soul.


Apart from Kaustubh Ganbote, his childhood friend Santosh Jagdale lost his life in the terror attack. The two families were travelling together when the group of four armed terrorists stopped them at Baisaran and began asking questions related to religion to them.


"The terrorists were insisting everyone to recite 'azaan' (Islamic call for prayer). All women in the group started reciting it, but still they killed our men. One local person, who was also a Muslim, confronted the four terrorists and asked why they were killing innocent people. He was also stripped of and shot," she said as she could not hold back her tears.


"As my husband's friend (Jagdale) was called by the terrorists and was asked whether he can recite the 'azaan', all women in the group immediately removed the bindis from our foreheads and started chanting 'Allahu Akbar'. But the terrorists killed both of them (Jagdale and Ganbote) and left the place," she continued.


Horrific killings

Victim Jagdale's daughter Asavari and her mother Pratibha also narrated the horrific killings to Pawar.


"Four to five terrorists came from nowhere and started asking us whether we are Hindus or Muslims, and asked if someone is a Muslim and can recite 'kalmas'," the family told the former defence minister.


They recalled that the men were shot in the head, eyes, and chest.


Jagdale's wife noted there were no security personnel present at the time of the terror attack.


"We were not in a position to even shout for help as gun-toting terrorists were around," she said.


She also said that when her husband and Ganbote were rushed to a local hospital, they were not given their health updates for a long time.


"Till 10 pm, we were told that they were alive. Later, we were informed that they were dead. All of us were helpless," Pratibha Jagdale said.


She urged the government authorities to shut the area for tourists to prevent similar incidents in future.


"What should we do now as I lost my husband...my daughter lost her father. I am not able to see my husband's face since yesterday?" said Jagdale with tears rolling down her cheeks.


She demanded that the perpetrators be punished severely for killing men in front of their wives and children.

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