What DGCA said on Ajit Pawar plane crash. Full statement here

Maharashtra Deputy CM Ajit Pawar died in a plane crash on January 28, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation confirmed in a statement.

Published on: Jan 28, 2026, 10:20:40 IST

By Shuvrajit Das Biswas

Prefer HTon Google

Share via

Copy link

Maharashtra Deputy CM and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Ajit Pawar died on January 28, after the aircraft he was traveling in crashed while attempting to land at Baramati.

Rescue work underway after an aircraft carrying Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar crashed during landing, at Baramati in Pune district, in Maharashtra. (PTI)

The plane had five on board, and there are no survivors, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation confirmed in a statement. The central agency shared their full statement on the crash. Follow latest updates on Ajit Pawar death news

DGCA statement on Ajit Pawar plane crash

The DGCA in its statement said “Aircraft crash landed at Baramati. Sh. Ajit Pawar, Dy. CM, Maharashtra was onboard along with 2 more personnel (1 PSO and 1 attendent) and 2 crew (PIC+FO) members. As per initial information, no person on board has survived the crash.”

Pawar was flying in a Learjet 45, and the operator was noted as VSR. The aircraft number was VT-SSK, the DGCA shared. The five on board included crew members, the agency added.

The late deputy CM was headed to Baramati to address four public meetings ahead of the Zilla Parishad elections when the incident took place. Baramati airport manager Shivaji Taware shared details of the crash with Hindustan Times, saying, “The aircraft VT SSK was attempting a landing, and the aircraft went off the side of the runway and crashed.”

Pune Superintendent of Police Sandeep Gill said, "We have so far taken six bodies to hospital. When the plane crashed, we recovered three bodies first."

The Baramati airport was operated by a private operator and was only recently handed over to the Maharashtra Airport Development Company.

Condolences pour in for Ajit Pawar

Dr K Sudhakar of BJP offered condolences, writing on X “Extremely shocked and saddened by the tragic news of the passing of Maharashtra Deputy CM Ajit Pawar ji in a plane crash."

“My heartfelt condolences to the Pawar family, his supporters and the people of Maharashtra. Om Shanti,” he added.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Shuvrajit Das Biswas
Shuvrajit has over seven years of experience covering US, India, and world news. An English Literature postgraduate from Jadavpur University, Shuvrajit started off covering entertainment, gaming and all things pop culture. There were brief periods away from the media industry, with short stints in content marketing, ed-tech and academic editing. However, the newsroom beckoned and over the last few jobs, Shuvrajit has exceedingly focused on team functioning as well, including tracking news and assigning tasks, working on everyday breaking news, framing detailed coverage plans, and creating immersive and data-driven stories. In his time as a digital journalist, he has covered a Lok Sabha election, multiple state elections, Union Budgets and award ceremonies. He has also helped in planning content for company event panels in the past. For work, Shuvrajit enjoys dabbling with data visualization, editing tools, and AI chatbots and attempts to incorporate AI workflows in everyday tasks. He is deeply interested in geopolitics, sports, films and music. Prompting is a new fascination for Shuvrajit now. Apart from that, he can be found doom-scrolling, sharing memes, or cheering on his favorite football team.Read More

Get the latest India News, breaking headlines and real-time updates from across the country. Stay informed about politics, government policies, crime, weather and major national developments.