Mumbai: Maharashtra deputy chief minister Eknath Shinde assured a thorough probe into the air crash that killed his cabinet colleague and fellow deputy CM Ajit Pawar, calling the tragedy “very sad and unfortunate” for the state, a report said.
Speaking to reporters Shinde vowed, “The aircraft accident will be investigated,” stressing no such incident can be overlooked as authorities scramble to determine why the Learjet 45XR veered off the runway at Baramati Airport.
Pawar, 66, died along with two pilots and two security aides when the chartered jet exploded on impact around 9:12 AM en route to election rallies for next month’s Zilla Parishad polls.
Shinde, who along with Pawar shared deputy CM under CM Devendra Fadnavis, likened the loss to losing an “elder brother,” praising his administrative prowess, fearlessness, and key role in schemes like Ladki Bahin Yojana. “We worked as a team,” Shinde recalled of their collaboration across regimes.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has launched a formal inquiry, with black box recovery underway amid charred wreckage at Pune district’s airfield. Initial reports cite a botched landing, but weather was clear; technical faults, pilot error, or maintenance lapses are under scrutiny. Baramati airport manager Shivaji Taware confirmed the plane “went off the side of the runway.”
