Top News

New Delhi: After the tragic death of Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar in a plane crash in Baramati, the incident has caused widespread grief, leading the government of the state to declare holidays for schools and offices till January 30. The Chief Minister of the state, Devendra Fadnavis, announced the school closures. The CMs official X account made the announcement.

In Maharashtra, a three-day state mourning has been imposed and schools will remain closed from January 28 to January 30. As per the order, all government offices and educational institutions across the state will remain unoperational during these period of three days.

मुख्यमंत्री देवेंद्र फडणवीस यांनी आपले सर्व कार्यक्रम रद्द केले असून ते आणि उपमुख्यमंत्री एकनाथ शिंदे दोघेही थोड्याच वेळात बारामतीसाठी रवाना होत आहेत. राज्यात आज शासकीय सुटी जाहीर करण्यात आली असून तीन दिवसांचा दुखवटा जाहीर करण्यात आला आहे.

— CMO Maharashtra (@CMOMaharashtra)

Ajit Pawar, along with four others died when his Learjet 45 crashed. The incident took place around 8:45 AM while he was travelling from Mumbai to Baramati. The victims of the incident include pilot Sumit Kapoor, co-pilot Shambhavi Pathak, flight attendant Pinky Mali and Pawar’s personal security officer HC Vidhit Jadhav.

As per the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), the aircraft crashed during a second approach to runway 11 at Baramati Airport. The plane left the runway, flames engulfing it as it was destroyed on impact. There were no survivors of the crash.

Pawar is the nephew of veteran politician Sharad Pawar. He was the state’s longest-serving deputy chief minister, overseeing major portfolios such as water resources, finance, and energy.