Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar dies in plane crash

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar and four others on board died when an aircraft carrying them crashed in Baramati town of Pune district of the state today (28 January), PTI reported, quoting officials.

The chartered plane crashed while attempting an emergency landing at around 8:45am, the news agency said.

Video showed billows of smoke rising from some of the burning wreckage of the plane, scattered across an open field, reports Reuters. 

Pawar, 66, a leader of the Nationalist Congress Party, an ally of Maharashtra's ruling BJP, was going to visit Baramati for an event related to the zilla panchayat elections. He backed Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party in the state government, leading a faction that split in 2023 from the opposition Nationalist Congress Party.

Visuals from the crash site showed the aircraft's wreckage engulfed in flames, as local villagers and emergency responders gathered at the spot. 

Hindustan Times said, quoting Kiran Gujar, identified as a close aide of Pawar, that all six persons on board the plane, including Pawar, were "brought dead" to a local hospital in Baramati.

The daily quoted Shivaji Tawar, Baramati airport manager, as saying that the plane, VT SSK, went off the side of the runway and crashed while trying to lan.

An official of India's Directorate General of Civil Aviation said all the persons on board the aircraft carrying Ajit Pawar including two crew members, crash landed at Baramati airport, killing all of them, reports PTI.

A team from the DGCA is heading to the crash site, the official added.

There were five people – Pawar, two more personnel (one personal security officer and one attendant) and two crew members (pilot in command and the first officer) – on board the Learjet 45 aircraft when the accident happened, he said.

India's President Droupadi Murmu condoled the demise of Pawar, saying his untimely death is an irreparable loss.

In a post on X, she said Pawar will always be remembered for his contribution to the development of Maharashtra, especially in the cooperative sector.

Modi called the death untimely and very shocking. In an X post, he described Pawar as a leader of the people with a strong grassroots-level connection.

Witness accounts

According to a PTI report, a woman witness said the aircraft carrying Pawar appeared "a bit unstable in the air" and exploded the moment it crashed on the ground.

Another person said that after the crash, the aircraft burst into flames, followed by four to five consecutive blasts.

The woman said she noticed the aircraft in the morning as it circled over Baramati airport.

"It took a round in the air, appeared a bit unstable, and as it was approaching the runway to land, it hit the ground hard and exploded. There was a loud sound and could be heard from our home," the woman told a news channel.

She said several parts of the aircraft were hurled into the air after the explosion and fell near her house. "The plane tilted before coming down. We saw the explosion, and it was frightening," she added.

Another eyewitness said the aircraft appeared to be losing control as it descended. "The way the plane was coming down, we felt it was going to crash. It was around 100 feet above the runway. As we rushed towards it, we saw flames, followed by four to five consecutive blasts, which prevented us from going anywhere near the aircraft," he told reporters.

"It was a major fire. We later learned that Pawar was on the aircraft," he added.

According to Flight Radar, the flight took off from Mumbai at 8:10am and disappeared from radar at around 8:45 am.

Baramati district Superintendent of Police, Sandip Singh Gill said that after the crash, there was a fire.