From Sanjay Gandhi to Ajit Pawar, India mourns
Former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy died on September 2, 2009, leaving the state grieving.
Hyderabad was gripped by shock and sorrow on Wednesday as Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar and four others lost their lives in a tragic plane crash in Pune district, marking yet another painful chapter in India’s long history of air disasters involving prominent public figures.
According to officials, the aircraft carrying Pawar, 66, went down while landing near Baramati, his political stronghold and home turf. What should have been a routine landing turned fatal within moments. The crash occurred around 9 am, nearly an hour after the plane took off from Mumbai, leaving little time for anyone on board to react.
Visuals from the site were harrowing. Thick smoke rose from the mangled remains of the aircraft, flames licking the debris scattered across the landing area. Ambulances rushed in as police, fire services, and medical teams struggled to manage the chaos. Local residents were among the first responders, running towards the wreckage, trying desperately to help survivors, pull the injured to safety, and assist authorities in any way they could.
The number of people on board has not yet been officially confirmed, but rescue and relief operations remain underway. A team from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has reached the site to begin a detailed investigation into the cause of the crash.
News of Ajit Pawar’s death sent shockwaves through Maharashtra and beyond. A veteran politician and a towering figure in the state’s politics, Pawar’s sudden demise has left supporters stunned and rivals offering condolences. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah spoke to Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis soon after the incident, seeking details and expressing concern over the tragedy. Senior leaders across party lines described the loss as devastating and irreversible.
As the state mourns, the incident has also revived memories of several other air tragedies that claimed the lives of some of India’s most influential political, scientific, and public figures.
One of the earliest and most significant losses was that of Homi Jehangir Bhabha, the pioneer of India’s nuclear science programme. On January 24, 1966, Bhabha was travelling on Air India Flight 101 when the aircraft crashed into Mont Blanc in the Swiss Alps. Investigations later suggested a communication error with Geneva air traffic control led to a fatal navigation mistake, cutting short the life of a man considered the architect of India’s atomic ambitions.
In 1980, the nation was stunned by the death of Sanjay Gandhi, a Congress leader and son of then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. On June 23, his aircraft crashed near Delhi’s Safdarjung Airport after losing control shortly after take-off from the Delhi Flying Club. His death had deep political repercussions and left the country in shock.
Another tragic loss occurred on March 3, 2002, when GMC Balayogi, then Speaker of the Lok Sabha and a senior Telugu Desam Party leader, died in a helicopter crash. The private chopper carrying him from Bhimavaram crashed into a pond near Kaikalur in Andhra Pradesh’s Krishna district, killing everyone on board.
The film industry was plunged into grief in 2004 with the death of popular South Indian actress K S Sowmya, known widely as Soundarya. On April 17, she was flying from Bengaluru to Karimnagar with her brother when the aircraft crashed. Her sudden death shocked fans and colleagues across the country, cutting short a celebrated career.
In 2005, industrialist and Haryana minister Om Prakash Jindal lost his life in a helicopter crash in Uttar Pradesh’s Saharanpur district while travelling from Delhi to Chandigarh.
One of the most widely mourned tragedies was the death of former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy, popularly known as YSR. On September 2, 2009, the Bell 430 helicopter carrying him crashed in the dense Nallamala forest. The accident was attributed to adverse weather conditions, and his death triggered an outpouring of grief across the state.
In 2011, Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Dorjee Khandu died when his helicopter crashed in West Kameng district while flying from Tawang to Itanagar. Four others also lost their lives in the accident, highlighting the risks of flying in difficult terrain.
The helicopter carrying him from Sulur to Wellington crashed near Coonoor in Tamil Nadu, killing Rawat, his wife, and 11 other personnel.
In 2025, former Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani died in a devastating Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad. The aircraft, scheduled to fly to London, claimed over 200 lives, becoming one of the deadliest aviation disasters in recent memory.
The death of Ajit Pawar now joins this somber list, once again raising questions about aviation safety and emergency preparedness. For now, as investigations begin and answers are awaited, the country pauses to mourn lives lost too suddenly, united in grief and remembrance.