Pune (Maharashtra) [India], January 30 : Maharashtra Deputy Minister Ajit Pawar's ashes were immersed at Songaanv village at the sangam of the Karha and Nira rivers, around 15 km from Baramati town, on Friday. Sunetra Pawar, wife of Maharashtra Deputy CM late Ajit Pawar, and sons Parth Pawar and Jay Pawar, along with other family members, were present during the Asthi Visarjan ceremony.
Ajit Pawar, 66, died on Wednesday morning after the aircraft carrying him crashed while attempting to land at Baramati airport in Pune district. The plane crash-landed near the runway threshold, killing all five people on board the chartered plane. Among the deceased were his personal security officer, a flight attendant and two pilots.
The crash occurred around 8.48 am. Pawar was on his way to Baramati from Mumbai to campaign for the Zilla Panchayat elections.
On Thursday, the last rites of Ajit Pawar were held with full state honours at the Vidya Pratishthan ground in Baramati, where his sons lit the funeral pyre and performed the final rituals.
Several prominent leaders and dignitaries, including Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari, Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) chief Sharad Pawar, and actor Riteish Deshmukh, attended the funeral and paid their last respects.
Pawar's sons, Parth and Jay, performed the last rites of their father. Sunetra Pawar, wife of Ajit Pawar and Rajya Sabha MP, also paid her last respects to her husband.
A large number of people also gathered at the Vidya Pratishthan ground to bid a final farewell to the Nationalist Congress Party leader, reflecting the widespread public mourning over his demise.
Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis had written to the Civil Aviation Minister following the tragic accident, highlighting the gravity of the incident in which a very senior political leader like Ajit Pawar lost his life along with four others.
In his letter, the Chief Minister requested a detailed inquiry into the accident's exact causes and urged immediate steps to prevent similar incidents.