From Scindia to Pawar: lives lost mid-air

Maharashtra's deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar, along with four others were killed on Wednesday after his chartered plane crashed and exploded before landing at Pune's Baramati airport. The aircraft burst into flames, leaving all five people on board including the veteran NCP leader and others, dead.

The tragic demise of 66-year-old Pawar comes as grim reminder of air tragedies that happened through the years, leading to death of several noted figures including political heavyweights in aviation accidents.

Below are some noted figures and political leaders who were killed in plane crash:

Vijay Rupani (2025): Former Gujarat chief minister Vijay Rupani died in a tragic plane crash in Ahmedabad on June 12, 2025. Rupani was on the London-bound flight that crashed moments after taking off from the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport, killing 241 of the 242 persons on board.

General Bipin Rawat (2021): India’s first Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Bipin Rawat, tragically died in a helicopter crash on December 8, 2021. The incident occurred near Coonoor in Tamil Nadu while he was en-route from Sulur to Wellington with his wife and 11 others.

Dorjee Khandu (2011): Arunachal Pradesh chief minister Dorjee Khandu died on April 30, 2011, when a helicopter, with him onboard, crashed in the West Kameng district of the state.

YS Reddy (2009): Former Andhra Pradesh chief minister YS Rajasekhara Reddy was killed on September 2, 2009, when his Bell 430 helicopter crashed in the dense Nallamala forests due to bad weather.

O.P. Jindal (2005): Haryana’s Power Minister and steel magnate, died on March 2, 2005, when his helicopter crashed near Saharanpur due to technical failure. His death impacted both state politics and India’s industrial landscape.

Madhavrao Scindia (2001): Senior Congress leader Madhavrao Scindia was killed in a Cessna aircraft crash on September 30, 2001 while travelling to Kanpur in Uttar Pradesh to address a public rally. The 10-seater private aircraft crashed due to poor weather conditions near Manipuri in Uttar Pradesh.

Surendra Nath (1994): The then Punjab Governor Surendra Nath and nine members of his family were killed when the government's Super-King aircraft crashed into high mountains in bad weather on July 9, 1994 in Himachal Pradesh.

Sanjay Gandhi (1980): Sanjay Gandhi, the son of then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, who was just 34, was killed when a small plane he was flying crashed soon after taking off from the Safdarjung airport in Delhi on June 23, 1980. Diving and looping in aerobatic manoeuvres, he lost control, and the plane crashed near Teen Murti house.