The last rites of Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, killed in a plane crash, will be held with full state honours on Thursday in Baramati, Pune district.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah are expected to attend the funeral, which will be held at Vidya Pratishthan ground at 11 a.m. Leaders cutting across the political spectrum will be present, the Nationalist Congress Party said. The plane crash occurred in the morning shortly after Ajit Pawar and four other persons took off from Mumbai.
Besides Pawar, his Personal Security Officer, an attendant, and two crew members (pilot in command and the first officer) were also killed. Pawar is survived by wife Sunetra, a member of the Rajya Sabha, and two sons, Parth and Jay. The state government declared a public holiday on Wednesday and announced a three-day period of state mourning.
Pawar, who headed the NCP, had taken off from Mumbai in the morning to address four rallies in the day in Pune district for the February 5 Zilla Parishad elections.
The others killed in the tragedy were Captain Sumit Kapoor, who had a flying experience of 15,000 hours, co-pilot Capt. Shambhavi Pathak with 1,500 hours of flying, Personal Security Officer (PSO) Vidip Jadhav and flight attendant Pinky Mali.
The government released a statement detailing the sequence of events that led to the crash and Pawar's death.
The aircraft, a Learjet, was cleared for landing in Baramati after a go-around due to poor visibility, but having finally received a clearance, it did not give any read-back to the ATC, and moments later burst into flames on the edge of the runway.
Ajit Pawar Funeral Live Updates: Aircraft's Blackbox Recovered
In a post on X, the Ministry of Civil Aviation wrote, "Following the unfortunate aircraft accident near Baramati, all requisite response and investigative mechanisms were activated immediately. Ensuring a thorough, transparent, and time-bound inquiry remains a top priority.A team of three officers from AAIB, Delhi, and another team of three officers from the DGCA, Mumbai Regional Office, reached the crash site on 28 January. The Director General, AAIB, also arrived at the site the same day. The investigation is progressing expeditiously, and the black box of the ill-fated aircraft has been recovered."
"The Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) remains fully committed to completing the investigation within a defined timeframe, strictly in accordance with established Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and laid-down guidelines. The investigation has been initiated in accordance with Rules 5 and 11 of the AAIB Rules, 2025," wrote the Ministry.
Ajit Pawar Funeral Live Updates: Fadnavis, Shinde Arrive In Baramati
Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis and Maharashtra Deputy CM Eknath Shinde arrive at Baramati to attend the last rites of Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar.
Ajit Pawar Funeral Live Updates: Mourners Throng Pawar's Residence
Hundreds of mourners thronged the residence of Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar at his native village Katewadi near here on Thursday morning to pay their last respects to the leader who died in a plane crash. Grief-stricken people from Katewadi and nearby villages in Pune district, joined by NCP workers, made a beeline outside the residence gates, chanting slogans such as "Ajit Dada Amar Rahe" and "Ajit Dada Parat Ya" (Ajit Dada please come back).
Ajit Pawar Funeral Live Updates: People Gather To Pay Last Respects To Pawar
People in large numbers walk towards Vidya Pratishthan ground to take part in the last rites of Maharashtra Deputy CM Ajit Pawar in Baramati
Ajit Pawar Funeral Live Updates: Pawar's Mortal Remains Leave From His Residence
The hearse van carrying the mortal remains of Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar leaves from his Katewadi residence. His last rites will be performed at Vidya Pratishthan ground in Baramati. Watch Video
Ajit Pawar Funeral Live Updates: Vidip Jadhav Laid To Rest | Video
Vidip Dilip Jadhav, the personal security officer (PSO) of Deputy CM Ajit Pawar, was laid to rest with full state honours in his native village in Satara last night. Jadhav was also on board the aircraft that crash-landed in Baramati yesterday.
Ajit Pawar Funeral Live Updates: Sharad Pawar Reaches Vidya Pratishthan Ground | Watch
NCP-SCP chief Sharad Pawar at Vidya Pratishthan ground for the last rites of Maharashtra Deputy CM and his nephew, Ajit Pawar
Ajit Pawar Funeral Live Updates: Captain Shambhavi Pathak's Family Inconsolable
A pall of grief hung over the Safdarjung Enclave residence of Captain Shambhavi Pathak in New Delhi, curtains drawn and visitors moving in silence, as her mother, who was planning to get her married, grappled with the devastating loss of her daughter in a plane crash in Baramati that also had Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar on board.
At Pathak's southwest Delhi home, her mother, a teacher at the Air Force Bal Bharati School, was inconsolable. Her father, a retired Army pilot, travelled to Pune following the tragedy. The couple, both in their late 40s, was planning their daughter's marriage, locals said. Pathak's younger brother, aged around 22, is in the Navy.
Co-pilot Shambhavi Pathak's grandmother Meera Pathak speaks on the phone
Photo Credit: (Photo: PTI)
Ajit Pawar Funeral Live Updates: Jay Pawar At Their Residence In Katewadi | Video
Jay Pawar, son of Maharashtra Deputy CM late Ajit Pawar at their residence in Katewadi.
Ajit Pawar Funeral Live Updates: Uddhav Thackeray, Aditya Visit Baramati | Watch
Shiv Sena (UBT) Chief Uddhav Thackeray and party leader Aaditya Thackeray visited Maharashtra Dy CM Ajit Pawar's Baramati residence to offer condolences to his family following his demise.
Ajit Pawar Funeral Live Updates: Amit Shah To Attend Pawar's Funeral In Baramati
Union Home Minister Amit Shah will be among the leaders present at Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar's funeral, his Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) said.
In a post on X he wrote, "Today, the news of the loss of Maharashtra's Deputy Chief Minister and our senior NDA colleague Ajit Pawar ji in a tragic accident has left my heart deeply distressed. The way Ajit Pawar ji dedicated himself to the welfare of every section of society in Maharashtra over the past three and a half decades cannot be expressed in words. Whenever we met, he would engage in long discussions on numerous issues related to the welfare of the people of Maharashtra. His passing is a personal loss not only for the NDA family but also for me."
Ajit Pawar Funeral Live Updates: Maghi Ganesh Festival Celebrated Without Fanfare
The death of Deputy CM Ajit Pawar in a plane crash cast a shadow on the conclusion of Maghi Ganesh festival, with processions being held without fanfare in Thane city. The festival, which commenced on January 22 at Pachpakhadi, was originally planned as a massive cultural celebration.
BJP district president Sandeep Lele stated that the conclusion of the festival was kept strictly simple to honour the memory of the departed leader.
In place of the typical grand musical processions, hundreds of devotees escorted the decorated chariot in a peaceful, silent march. The immersion took place at the Kopri Mithbunder Ghat in Thane East.
Ajit Pawar Funeral Live Updates: Village Mourns Flight Attendant Pinki Mali
Pinki Mali, a flight attendant from Bhainsa village in Jaunpur district of Uttar Pradesh, was among those killed in a plane crash that also claimed the life of NCP leader and Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar and three others, officials and family sources said. Pinki had been living with her family in Mumbai and was on board the chartered aircraft that crashed. The news of her death brought deep mourning to her native village, with residents gathering to console her grieving family.
As news of the crash spread, a pall of gloom enveloped Bhainsa village and the surrounding area. Family members were inconsolable, while villagers remembered Pinki as a hardworking, warm, and promising young woman.
Ajit Pawar Funeral Live Updates: NCP Workers Gather In Baramati
Ajit Pawar's mortal remains, which were at the Medical College in Baramati, were brought to the Vidya Pratishtan in a vehicle decked with flowers as people standing on both sides of the road got emotional and broke down.
A large number of people and party workers from Baramati as well across the state flocked to the town, synonymous with the politically powerful Pawar family, to pay tribute to the late leader.
Ajit Pawar Funeral Live Updates: 'Ajit Dada Parat Ya' Slogans Reverberated The Air
Slogans like 'Ajit dada amar rahe" and "Ajit dada parat ya" (long live Ajit dada, Ajit dada come back) reverberated the air as the mortal remains were brought to the premises of the Vidya Pratishtan in his home turf of Baramati to allow people to pay their last respects to the NCP president.
Ajit Pawar Funeral Live Updates: Pawar's Mortal Remains Brought To Educational Institute In Baramati
Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar's mortal remains were brought to an educational institute in Baramati in Pune district on Wednesday evening amid outpouring of emotions as grief-stricken NCP workers and local residents shouted slogans hailing the late leader.
Ajit Pawar Funeral Live Updates: Accidental Death Report Registered
Police registered an accidental death report (ADR) case in connection with the plane crash that killed Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar and four others in Baramati in Pune district.
As per procedure, the ADR will be handed over to the Maharashtra Criminal Investigation Department (CID), which will conduct a probe based on findings of the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB)'s inquiry. The AAIB, which functions under the Ministry of Civil Aviation, has already taken over the probe into the crash.