Cyrus Mistry death: Here’s a list of other high-profile accidents

Mistry (54) and Pandole were killed when his Mercedes car hit a road divider along the Surya river stretch on Mumbai-Ahmedabad highway

Billionaire business tycoon Cyrus Mistry, former chairman of Tata Sons and a scion of the Shapoorji Pallonji Group, died in a road accident in the Palghar district of Maharashtra on Sunday.

Mistry is not the first eminent personality who lost his life in a road accident. (File image)

Besides Mistry, the second victim was Jahangir Pandole, his close family friend.

Mistry (54) and Pandole were killed when his Mercedes car hit a road divider along the Surya river stretch on Mumbai-Ahmedabad highway, around 100kms away from Mumbai, when he was on his way from Ahmedabad to Mumbai.

The Palghar police registered an accidental death report and investigations are currently underway.

Initial reports suggest it was a case of over-speeding.

Mistry is not the first eminent personality who lost his life in a road accident.

Here, we take a look at a few high-profile list of politicians who suffered the same fate.

Gopinath Munde

Gopinath Munde, a senior BJP leader from Maharashtra who was the rural development minister and joined the union cabinet just a week before his death, died on June 3 2014, in a road accident when he was on his way to the airport. His car was hit by another vehicle at the Prithiviraj road-Tughlak road roundabout in the heart of New Delhi, at the age of 64. He was rushed to the hospital where doctors declared him dead an hour later. Although he did not suffer any injuries, he suffered shock and cardiac arrest from the impact of the accident. A five-time MLA, Munde always possessed the ambition of becoming the first BJP chief minister of Maharashtra. A known critic of Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar, Munde managed to win the Beed seat in 2014 despite a strong fight by Pawar. Coming from the Other Backward Classes (OBC), his popularity made him an important leader of the BJP.

Sahib Singh Verma

Sahib Singh Verma, former Delhi chief minister and union minister died in a tragic road accident in the Alwar district of Rajasthan on 30 June 2007. The car in which Verma was travelling collided with a mini-truck near the Khandura crossing. He was immediately rushed to Shahjahanpur government hospital where he was declared brought dead. He was returning to Delhi after laying a foundation stone for a school in Neem Ka Thana in Sikar district when the mishap took place. Verma was a senior BJP leader from New Delhi and a national vice president. He served as the chief minister of Delhi from 1996 to 1998, and later was appointed as the union labour minister by the Vajpayee government, and represented outer Delhi in Lok Sabha from 1994 to 2004.

Rajesh Pilot

Senior Congress leader and former union minister Rajesh Pilot died in a road accident at Bhadana in his parliamentary constituency Dausa on June 11, 2000 at the age of 57. He was sitting in the driver’s seat when his car collided head-on with a Rajasthan State Road Transport Bus. He was declared dead 45 minutes after reaching the hospital. The accident occurred while he was returning to Jaipur after visiting his constituency. Pilot was a squadron leader in the Indian Air Force, quitting it in 1979 and entering the House for the first time in 1980. He was a minister of state for home and communications in the PV Narasimha Rao government.

Giani Zail Singh

The 7th President of India, Giani Zail Singh died after suffering fatal injuries in a road accident near Kiratpur Sahib in Ropar district in Punjab on December 25, 1994. He was on his way to Anandpur Sahib when a truck rammed the car he was travelling in head-on. He succumbed to his injuries at postgraduate Institution of Medical Education and Research in Chandigarh. Cremated at the Raj Ghat Memorial in Old Delhi, Singh died at the age of 78. During his presidency, India witnessed Operation Blue Star, 1984 Anti-Sikh riots and the assassination of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.

Shrikant Jichkar

Former Congress Rajya Sabha member of Parliament Shrikant Jichkar died when his car collided with a Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation bus near Kondhali, about 60km from Nagpur, on 2 June 2004. He sustained multiple injuries and was rushed to a private nursing home where he succumbed to his wounds. He was a member of the Rajya Sabha from 1992 to 1998. He was known as India’s most qualified person, as he had amassed 20 degrees during his lifetime. He got elected to the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly in 1980, becoming India’s youngest politician. He also served as a member of the Maharashtra Legislative Council as a minister of state.

Michelle Vadra

Michelle Vadra, sister-in-law of Priyanka Gandhi, and another woman were killed when their car overturned near Behror in Alwar district of Rajasthan on 17 April, 2001. The accident happened when they were returning to Delhi from Jaipur. Michelle, sister of Robert Vadra, died on the spot. The Rajasthan police said the vehicle overturned after one of its tyres burst.