Mumbai: Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar died on Wednesday after his chartered plane crashed near Baramati airport while attempting to land. He was travelling from Mumbai to address four public meetings ahead of the Zilla Parishad elections in Pune district.
The jet went down during its landing approach and burst into flames on impact, sending thick smoke into the air across the surrounding area. Emergency teams reached the site within minutes but found the aircraft completely destroyed, with no chance of survival for those on board.
Two pilots and two of Pawar’s security personnel also lost their lives in the crash. Due to the intense fire, the bodies were badly charred, and Pawar was later identified through personal belongings.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation confirmed the deaths and said the aircraft faced difficulty during the landing phase at Baramati airport. Officials noted that visibility in the area was poor because of dense fog, while the airport lacks advanced night-landing facilities.
The aircraft, a Bombardier Learjet 45, was operated by VSR Ventures Pvt. Ltd. and registered as VT-SSK. The 16-year-old business jet is commonly used for VIP and corporate travel on short regional routes like Mumbai to Baramati.
Flight tracking data shows the jet took off from Mumbai at 8.10 am and attempted its first landing at Baramati around 8.30 am, which proved unsuccessful. The crew made a second approach at about 8.42 am. Airport sources said air traffic control had cleared the plane for runway 11 but received no readback from the crew. Moments later, controllers noticed flames near the airfield, indicating the impact.
A nearby CCTV camera captured the final moments, showing the aircraft hitting the ground behind a small shop, followed by a massive burst of fire seconds later.
Pawar had attended a cabinet meeting in Mumbai on Tuesday and was en route to Baramati for a series of election-related programmes. News of his death prompted his cousin and Baramati MP Supriya Sule to leave Delhi for Maharashtra, while his wife Sunetra Pawar and son Parth Pawar also headed to Baramati.
The Maharashtra government announced three days of state mourning in honour of the late leader. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis called the incident tragic and said Pawar’s leadership had played a key role in the state’s development.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed deep grief, describing Pawar as “a leader of the people” with a strong grassroots connect and administrative insight. “He was widely respected as a hardworking personality at the forefront of serving the people of Maharashtra,” PM Modi wrote in a post on X.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah also contacted the chief minister to receive updates on the crash. The news “has left my heart deeply distressed,” he said in a post on X. “The way Ajit Pawar ji dedicated himself to the welfare of every section of society in Maharashtra over the past three and a half decades cannot be expressed in words,” he added.
Tributes poured in from across the political spectrum, with several leaders calling the loss a blow to Maharashtra’s public life. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee sought a Supreme Court-monitored probe, raising concerns over the safety of political leaders.
The civil aviation ministry has initiated a formal investigation, which will examine weather conditions, flight data, and cockpit communication. Officials said the inquiry aims to establish the precise sequence of events that led to the fatal crash.
