Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar was killed in a fiery plane crash on Wednesday morning — with leaders across the political spectrum expressing their sorrow. The state has declared a three-day mourning period while fellow deputy CM Eknath Shinde assured that there would be a “thorough probe”. A team from the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau has already departed for Pune to begin its assessments. West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee has sought a Supreme Court-monitored probe into the matter.
Banerjee insisted that “all other agencies” had been “completely compromised” — adding that the truth would not emerge through existing mechanisms. She also broached the possibility of foul play and suggested that the NCP chief had been willing to exit the ruling Mahayuti alliance.
“A few days ago I came to know from social network…somebody from another party gave a statement that Ajit Pawar is willing to leave the BJP. And now what happened today! I need a proper investigation under the supervision of the Supreme Court. We trust only the Supreme Court. All other agencies have been completely compromised,” she told reporters before leaving for Singur.
What happened on Wednesday morning?
The NCP chief had been on his way to Pune for multiple election campaign events when his plane crashed at Baramati airport on Wednesday morning. Tracking data from Flightradar24 suggests the plane carrying Pawar was attempting a second approach to the runway when it crashed.
“I saw it with my eyes. This is really painful. When the aircraft descended, it seemed it would crash, and it did crash. It then exploded. There was a massive explosion. After that, we rushed here and saw that the aircraft was on fire. There were 4-5 explosions in the aircraft again. More people came here, and they tried to pull the people out (of the aircraft). But since this was a huge fire, people could not help. Ajit Pawar was onboard and this is really painful for us. I can’t describe it in words…” an eyewitness told ANI.
What caused the plane crash?
Baramati Airport Manager Shivaji Taware told Hindustan Times that the Learjet 45 had crashed while it was attempting to land. The plane reportedly veered off the side of the runway during the manoeuvre and exploded upon impact at the Baramati airport.
The crash occurred at the threshold of runway 11 at 8:48 am — leaving no survivors as the jet shattered into pieces and burst into flames. Videos shared online showed smoke billowing out from the burning wreckage of the plane as it lay scattered across an open field.