Ajit Pawar laid to rest with state honours as sons Parth and Jay perform last rites in Baramati

The final rites of Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister and NCP chief Ajit Pawar were performed today with full state honours in his political stronghold, Baramati. His two sons, Parth Pawar and Jay Pawar, lit the pyre. Earlier, the mortal remains of the senior leader were kept at the Vidya Pratishthan ground for the public's last glimpse.

The final rites of Maharashtra's Deputy Chief Minister and NCP chief Ajit Pawar were performed today with full state honours in his political stronghold, Baramati. His sons, Parth Pawar and Jay Pawar, lit the pyre. Earlier, the mortal remains of the senior leader were kept at the Vidya Pratishthan ground for the public's last respects. A large number of supporters, party workers, and local residents had been arriving since yesterday to pay homage to their beloved leader.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, Andhra Pradesh Minister Nara Lokesh, and several senior political leaders attended the funeral ceremony.

In view of this tragic incident, the Maharashtra government has announced a three-day state mourning. During this period, the national flag will be flown at half-mast on all government buildings across the state.

The police have registered an Accidental Death Report (ADR) in connection with the plane crash. Additionally, the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) has taken over the investigation.

In the Learjet 45 aircraft, operated by VSR, besides Deputy Chief Minister Pawar, there was also a Personal Security Officer (PSO), a flight attendant, and two crew members: a Pilot-in-Command (PIC) and a Second-in-Command (SIC). The deceased have been identified as Vidit Jadhav (male) and Pinki Mali (female). According to the passenger list, the crew members were PIC Sumit Kapoor and SIC Shambhavi Pathak.