Indian Deputy Chief Minister, Four Others Die in Charter Plane Crash

Ajit Pawar, the Deputy Chief Minister of India’s Maharashtra State, has been killed alongside four others after a chartered aircraft conveying them crashed in western India on Wednesday, officials have confirmed.

According to a statement by India’s Civil Aviation Ministry, the aircraft went down in an open field at about 8:44am local time while attempting to land at the Baramati airport in Maharashtra.

Pawar, 66, a prominent political figure in the state that hosts India’s financial capital, Mumbai, was travelling aboard a Bombardier Learjet 45 operated by private aviation firm, VSR Aviation.

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation disclosed that Pawar’s personal security officer, an aide, and two crew members were also on board the aircraft at the time of the crash. All five occupants reportedly died in the incident.

Speaking to journalists in New Delhi, the owner of VSR Aviation, Mr V.K. Singh, said the aircraft was properly maintained, dismissing suggestions of technical failure.

“There was absolutely no problem with the aircraft. There was no technical failure as far as we know,” Singh said.

Reacting to the incident, India’s Prime Minister, Mr Narendra Modi, described Pawar as a “leader of the people” and said his death was both shocking and saddening.

In a post on X, Modi said the late deputy chief minister was widely respected and hardworking, noting that his passion for empowering the poor and his deep understanding of administrative matters would be remembered.

Investigations into the cause of the crash are ongoing, aviation authorities said.