Baramati: Maharashtra fell into a deep state of mourning this week following the tragic demise of Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar in a plane crash. In a somber finale to a decades-long political career, the 66-year-old leader was laid to rest with full state honours on Thursday at the Vidya Pratishthan Grounds, the very soil he helped transform into an educational hub.
Timeline Of Tragedy: January 28, 2026
The sequence of events began on Wednesday morning as Ajit Pawar departed from Mumbai for Baramati to attend a series of public rallies ahead of the Zilla Parishad elections.
08:10 am: The chartered Bombardier Learjet 45 (VT-SSK), operated by VSR Ventures, took off from Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport.
08:30 am: The aircraft made its first approach to the Baramati airstrip. Due to poor visibility (reported at approximately 3,000 meters), the pilots initiated a go-around manovuere after failing to sight the runway.
08:39 am: Flight data showed the jet climbing and circling for a second attempt.
08:43 am: Air Traffic Control (ATC) gave landing clearance for Runway 11. However, the cockpit provided no read-back to the tower.
08:46 am: The aircraft disappeared from radar. Moments later, ATC personnel observed a ball of fire near the runway threshold. The jet had crashed roughly 50-100 meters short of the runway, instantly killing all five on board, including Pawar, his security officer Vidip Jadhav, an attendant, and two pilots.
A State Left In Mourning
By Wednesday afternoon, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis declared three days of state mourning. As news of the crash spread, shops across Pune and Baramati closed spontaneously.
The identification of the leader’s remains was tragically confirmed via his personal belongings, including his wristwatch, before being moved to the Ahilyabai Holkar Government Medical College for formalities.
The Final Journey: January 29, 2026
Thousands of supporters, many weeping and chanting “Ajit Dada amar Rahe,” lined the streets of Baramati as the funeral procession began on Thursday morning.
07:00 am: Mortal remains taken to his residence in Kathewadi for family rites.
09:00 am: Antyayatra (funeral procession) began from the Vidya Pratishthan campus.
11:00 am: Funeral with full state honours and a 21-gun salute.
The final rites were performed by his sons, Parth and Jay Pawar, at the Vidya Pratishthan Grounds. The ceremony was attended by a rare assembly of political rivals and allies, including Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Sharad Pawar, Nitin Gadkari and Chief Minister Fadnavis.
The recovery of the aircraft’s Black Box today has now shifted the focus to the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) to determine if technical failure or weather-induced spatial disorientation led to the loss of one of Maharashtra’s most influential political figures.
