NEW DELHI: The nation mourns the untimely demise of Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, who tragically lost his life on January 28, 2026, along with four others when the chartered Learjet 45 aircraft he was travelling in crashed during an attempted landing near Baramati Airport in Pune district.
The 66-year-old Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader, accompanied by his personal security officer, an attendant, and two crew members; pilot-in-command Captain Sumit Kapur and co-pilot Captain Shambhavi Pathak perished in the incident. The aircraft, operating a charter flight from Mumbai to Baramati, reportedly attempted a second approach before the crash occurred around 8:44-8:46 AM, with the wreckage catching fire upon impact.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed profound grief, describing Pawar’s passing as “untimely” and “deeply shocking and saddening.” He highlighted Pawar’s role as “a leader of the people with strong grassroots connect,” noting his reputation as a “widely respected” and “hardworking” stalwart committed to administrative matters and empowering the underprivileged.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis declared three days of state mourning and described Pawar as a “people’s leader” whose contributions left a significant void. Other leaders, including Rahul Gandhi, who called the loss “extremely painful,” and opposition figures, offered condolences amid widespread shock.
This somber event adds to a poignant history of aviation tragedies that have claimed the lives of several distinguished Indians in public life, science, and politics. Such incidents, often linked to adverse weather, technical malfunctions, or operational challenges, have left deep marks on the country’s political and social fabric.
Early Losses: Pioneers and Freedom Fighters
One of the earliest recorded aviation tragedies involving a prominent Indian figure dates back to August 18, 1945, when Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, the iconic independence leader and founder of the Indian National Army, reportedly died in a Japanese bomber crash in Taihoku, Taiwan. The aircraft suffered engine failure shortly after takeoff, leading to a fatal plunge. Bose sustained severe burns and succumbed at a military hospital that evening. While debates persist over the exact circumstances, inquiries like the Shah Nawaz Committee in 1956 affirmed the crash as the cause. However, the Justice M.K. Mukherjee Commission of Inquiry (2005) concluded that Bose did not die in the plane crash, describing the incident as a fabricated story to cover his escape, and ruled that the ashes at Renkoji Temple are not his.
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Balwantrai Mehta, the second Chief Minister of Gujarat (serving from September 19, 1963, to September 19, 1965) and a pivotal figure in establishing India’s Panchayati Raj system for local governance, was killed when his civilian Beechcraft Model 18 aircraft was shot down by a Pakistan Air Force F-86 Sabre fighter jet near the India-Pakistan border in Kutch during the 1965 Indo-Pakistani War.
The pilot, former Indian Air Force officer Jahangir Engineer, and others on board including Mehta’s wife Sarojben, three staff members, a journalist, and the co-pilot also perished in the incident. The Pakistani pilot, Flying Officer Qais Hussain, reportedly mistook the plane for one on a military reconnaissance mission.
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Two decades later, on January 24, 1966, Homi J. Bhabha, the father of India’s nuclear program and a renowned physicist, lost his life in the crash of Air India Flight 101. The Boeing 707 collided with Mont Blanc in the Swiss Alps due to a miscommunication with air traffic control in Geneva, killing all 117 passengers and crew. Bhabha’s death was a profound blow to India’s scientific ambitions.
The 1980s: Political Dynasties Shaken
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On June 23, 1980, Sanjay Gandhi, the influential Congress leader and son of then-Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, died at age 33 in a light aircraft accident near Safdarjung Airport in Delhi. Piloting a Pitts S-2A stunt plane, he lost control during unauthorized aerobatic maneuvers, causing the crash. The incident sent shockwaves through the nation’s political landscape.
Turn of the Century:
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September 30, 2001, saw the demise of Madhavrao Scindia, a senior Congress leader and former Union Civil Aviation Minister, in a Cessna aircraft crash near Mainpuri in Uttar Pradesh. En route to a political rally in Kanpur, the plane crashed due to poor visibility and heavy rain. Scindia was regarded as a potential future Prime Minister.
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Just months later, on March 3, 2002, G.M.C. Balayogi, the Lok Sabha Speaker and Telugu Desam Party leader, perished in a Bell 206 helicopter crash in Andhra Pradesh’s Krishna district. Returning from a meeting in Bhimavaram, the chopper struck a coconut palm and plunged into a pond amid low visibility.
Mid-2000s: Industrialists, Actors, and Regional Leaders
In 2004, two separate incidents claimed lives. On April 17, actress and BJP campaigner K.S. Sowmya, known as Soundarya, died in a small plane crash while traveling from Bengaluru to Karimnagar for election activities. Her brother Amarnath was also among the victims.
Later that year, on September 22, Meghalaya’s Rural Development Minister Cyprian Sangma and nine others were killed in a Pawan Hans helicopter crash near Barapani lake, en route from Guwahati to Shillong.
(Image Courtesy: PhaNyaIn / Wikimedia Commons)
March 31, 2005, brought double tragedy when O.P. Jindal, Haryana’s Power Minister and industrialist, along with Agriculture Minister Surender Singh, died in a helicopter crash near Saharanpur, Uttar Pradesh. The aircraft, traveling from Delhi to Chandigarh, failed due to technical issues and poor visibility.
Recent Decades: Chief Ministers and Military Chiefs
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Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy, Chief Minister of undivided Andhra Pradesh, met his end on September 2, 2009, when his Bell 430 helicopter crashed in the Nallamala forest amid heavy rain and low visibility. The wreckage was located after an extensive search, with all five on board confirmed dead.
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In 2011, Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Dorjee Khandu vanished on April 30 during a helicopter flight near the China border. His body and those of four others were recovered days later in rugged terrain, attributed to adverse weather and high altitude.
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The most significant military loss in recent history occurred on December 8, 2021, when India’s first Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Bipin Rawat, his wife Madhulika Rawat, and 11 other personnel died. Their IAF Mi-17V5 helicopter crashed in the Coonoor district of Tamil Nadu. The tragedy was attributed to “unexpected change in weather conditions,” which led to the pilot’s spatial disorientation.
Regarding the investigation, Air Marshal Manavendra Singh, who headed the tri-services inquiry, stated: “The accident was a result of entry into clouds due to unexpected change in weather conditions in the valley. This led to spatial disorientation of the pilot resulting in Controlled Flight into Terrain (CFIT).”
(Image Courtesy: PIB)
Former Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani was among over 240 victims in the catastrophic crash of Air India Flight 171 on June 12, 2025. The Airbus plane plummeted shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad en route to London, prompting a major investigation into aircraft systems and weather factors.
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