Ajit Pawar Last Rites Today In Baramati After Fatal Plane Crash, Amit Shah to Attend

The last rites of Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, who was killed in a chartered aircraft crash near Baramati, will be held with full state honours on Thursday at Baramati in Pune district.

According to PTI, the funeral will take place at the sports ground of Vidya Pratishthan in Baramati around 11 am, with the funeral procession scheduled to begin at 9 am. Pawar was 66.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah is among the leaders expected to attend the funeral, his Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) said. On Thursday morning, Pawar’s mortal remains were taken from Punyashlok Ahilyadevi Hospital in Baramati, where they were kept overnight, to his native Katewadi village near Baramati.

Pawar was killed on Wednesday morning when a chartered Learjet crashed near the Baramati airstrip, about 100 km from Pune. Two pilots, a flight attendant and his personal security officer were also killed in the accident. The aircraft went down barely 200 metres from the edge of the tabletop runway at Baramati, PTI reported.

Shiv Sena (UBT) leaders Uddhav Thackeray and his son Aaditya Thackeray visited the Pawar family at their residence in Baramati on Thursday. On Wednesday, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde had visited the hospital and met Pawar’s family members.

Police have registered an accidental death report (ADR) in connection with the crash, an official said. As per procedure, the ADR will be transferred to the Maharashtra Criminal Investigation Department (CID), which will carry out a probe based on the findings of the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB), according to PTI. The AAIB, which functions under the Ministry of Civil Aviation, has already taken over the investigation.

A CID official told PTI that in cases involving the death of an influential public representative or public figure in an accident, the inquiry is conducted by the CID.

Those killed along with Pawar were Captain Sumit Kapoor, who had 15,000 hours of flying experience; co-pilot Captain Shambhavi Pathak, with 1,500 hours of experience; personal security officer Vidip Jadhav; and flight attendant Pinky Mali. Hospital sources said their mortal remains have been handed over to their families.

The government on Thursday issued a statement outlining the sequence of events leading to the crash. The aircraft had been cleared for landing at Baramati after a go-around due to poor visibility. However, after receiving final clearance, the crew did not give a read-back to air traffic control, and moments later the aircraft burst into flames near the edge of the airstrip.

(With inputs from PTI)