Vijay Rupani Killed In Air India Crash: Which Other Indian Leaders Died In Aviation Mishaps?
Several tragic aviation accidents have claimed the lives of notable Indian leaders, including sitting and former chief ministers, union ministers, and key political figures
Among the confirmed fatalities of Thursday's tragic Air India crash is Bharatiya Janata Party leader Vijay Rupani. Rupani, who served as the 16th chief minister of Gujarat from 2016 to 2021, was reportedly en route to London. His demise marks the second time Gujarat has lost a former CM in an aviation tragedy.
Several tragic aviation accidents have claimed the lives of notable Indian leaders, including sitting and former chief ministers, union ministers, and key political figures.
Balwantrai Mehta (1965): The second chief minister of Gujarat, Balwantrai Gopalji Mehta, tragically died in September 1965 during the Indo-Pakistani War. His civilian Beechcraft aircraft, flying from Mithapur to the Kutch border, was mistakenly shot down by a Pakistan Air Force pilot. He died along with his wife, staff members, a journalist, and the crew.
Mohan Kumaramangalam (1973): An influential parliamentarian and former union minister, S Mohan Kumaramangalam, died when Indian Airlines Flight 440 crashed near Delhi on May 31, 1973. His body was identified only by his Parker pen and a hearing aid.
Sanjay Gandhi (1980): The younger son of then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and a rising star in the Congress party, Sanjay Gandhi, died in a plane crash on June 23, 1980. He was piloting a Pitts S-2A aircraft, reportedly performing aerial acrobatics near Safdarjung Airport in Delhi, when the aircraft lost control and crashed. His untimely death brought a sudden end to what many believed was the political heir apparent to the Gandhi dynasty.
Surendra Nath (1994): The then governor of Punjab and acting governor of Himachal Pradesh, Surendra Nath, along with nine members of his family, died when the government's Super-King aircraft crashed into high mountains in bad weather on July 9, 1994, in Himachal Pradesh.
Madhavrao Scindia (2001): A towering Congress figure and a nine-term Member of Parliament, Madhavrao Scindia, then a former union minister, was travelling to a political rally in Kanpur on September 30, 2001, when his private Beechcraft aircraft crashed in Uttar Pradesh's Mainpuri district. The fire-engulfed wreckage left all eight on board dead.
GMC Balayogi (2002): The then Speaker of the Lok Sabha, GMC Balayogi, died on March 3, 2002, when the Bell 206 helicopter carrying him crashed into a pond near Kovvadalanka village in Andhra Pradesh's Krishna district. Poor visibility was cited as a contributing factor.
OP Jindal and Surender Singh (2005): Industrialist and then Haryana power minister OP Jindal, along with the state's agriculture minister Surender Singh, perished when their King Cobra helicopter crashed near Saharanpur, Uttar Pradesh, on March 31, 2005. They were en route to Chandigarh from Delhi.
YS Rajasekhara Reddy (2009): Popularly known as YSR, the then chief minister of Andhra Pradesh, YS Rajasekhara Reddy, died on September 2, 2009, when his Bell 430 helicopter crashed in the dense Nallamala forest due to bad weather. His body was traced 27 hours after the helicopter went missing.
Dorjee Khandu (2011): The then chief minister of Arunachal Pradesh, Dorjee Khandu, died in a helicopter crash on April 30, 2011, while flying from Tawang to Itanagar. After a five-day frantic search across dense West Kameng forests, his wrecked Pawan Hans chopper was discovered. Poor aircraft conditions and challenging terrain were believed to have contributed to the fatal incident.
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