On Thursday, Gujarat saw a heartbreaking accident, when former state Chief Minister Vijay Rupani died in a horrific crash of Air India flight AI-171. Rupani, 68,, who was the 16th Chief Minister of Gujarat from 2016 to 2021, was riding with 242 other passengers and crew members in the Boeing 787 Dreamliner Flight to London.
Accident occurred after 5 minutes of takeoff
The aircraft crashed in a densely populated residential area of Meghani Nagar, just minutes after flying from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport (Gujarat). In this accident with a sharp explosion, there was a scene of black smoke, fire and destruction. Local people said that strong explosions broke the windows and walls of the houses. Rescue teams reached the spot and started relief work.
Gujarat- Identification of pilot and crew
Captain Sumit Sabharwal and co-pilot Clive Kundar were flying the flight. The official figure of the death toll has yet been revealed after the accident, but the officials confirmed that Vijay Rupani’s name was included in the passenger list and his death was confirmed by evening.
The tragic history of 1965 was repeated
The accident has caused the death of a Chief Minister for the second time in the political history of Gujarat in the plane crash. Earlier in September 1965, the second Chief Minister of Gujarat Balvantrai Mehta also died in an aircraft accident. At that time, his beachcraft aircraft was killed by Pakistani Air Force as a military aircraft near Ran of Kutch.
Many people including Mehta, his wife Sarojben, journalist and crew were killed in this accident. Pakistan called it a WarTime Miss Audentification but has not released any official apology till date.
Gujarat- Emotional scars are still left
The pain of this historical tragedy is still felt. In 2011, the Indian pilot’s daughter received a apology letter from the Pakistani pilot, as reported in the report of The Indian Express. The 1965 accident (Gujarat) is counted among India’s deepest political aircraft accidents.
Rupani: A gentle but influential leader
The untimely death of Vijay Rupani has shocked not only the BJP but the entire Gujarat. He was an MLA from Rajkot West and was considered close to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah. He emerged as an important face in the BJP’s post -2014 expansion.
Gujarat- History of air accidents of political leaders in India
The death of Rupani (Gujarat) also reminded the other political leaders who lost their lives in air accidents. In 2009, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Rajasekhar Reddy died in a helicopter crash. In 2011, CM Dorji Khandu of Arunachal Pradesh was also killed in a helicopter accident in inaccessible area of the Himalayas.
