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Face not recognisable, locals identified Ajit Pawar by his wristwatch after plane crash
Ajit Pawar plane crash: The irony was not lost on the locals and other first responders who arrived at the crash site on Wednesday morning.
The fireball triggered by the crash was so intense that the identity of the five individuals who perished in the accident in Baramati, including deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar, was established not by identifying their remains but their personal belongings.
For Pawar, it was his wristwatch that helped confirm his identity. “We saw his wristwatch on his hand. This and his clothes helped identify him. His face was not recognisable,” said a local resident. Track latest in Ajit Pawar plane crash here
The irony was not lost on the locals and other first responders who arrived at the crash site on Wednesday morning. The clock, the election symbol of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) he helmed, ultimately proved decisive in establishing his identity.
The aircraft, carrying Pawar and four others, crashed while attempting to land at the Baramati airstrip amid poor visibility. It caught fire on impact and was completely gutted, making visual identification of the bodies impossible.
Locals who witnessed the crash were first to reach the site, where they found remnants of the aircraft and bodies. NCP leader and MLC Amol Mitkari said the manner of identification underlined the scale of the loss for party workers. “Because of Ajit Dada, a grassroots worker like me became an MLC. It is extremely unfortunate that he had to be identified by his wristwatch, which is also our party symbol,” Mitkari said.
Pawar was travelling to Baramati to campaign for the zilla parishad and panchayat samiti elections. According to party officials, his schedule included a public meeting in Nirwagaj village at 10am, followed by rallies at Pandhare at noon, Karanjepool at 3pm and Supa at 5.30pm.
As news of Pawar’s death spread, Baramati slipped into silence. Party workers and residents gathered in shock, many in tears. Supporters who had assembled with flowers and garlands to welcome Pawar were stunned as a day meant for campaigning turned into one of mourning.
While investigations into the crash are underway, residents here said they were struggling to come to terms with the loss of a leader whose presence had been a constant in the region – and with the poignant irony of how he was finally identified.
