Ajit Pawar Death: A day after the tragic passing of Maharashtra's Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar in a plane crash, his cremation took place in his hometown of Baramati, Pune district. On Friday, his two sons, Parth and Jay, collected his ashes from the site of the funeral. Meanwhile, a major tragedy was narrowly avoided when a gun accidentally discharged during the ceremonial final salute at his last rites.
The misfire occurred while a police official was loading the rifle for the salute as Pawar was being given Mukhagni, triggering a brief moment of panic at the cremation ground.
Thankfully, no one was hurt, and a serious mishap was averted in the presence of Union Home Minister Amit Shah and numerous senior political figures.
Pawar, aged 66, who was affectionately referred to as ‘Dada’ (elder brother), along with four others, died in a plane crash just 200 metres from the edge of the tabletop airstrip in Baramati on Wednesday morning.
He was cremated with full state honours on Thursday at the Vidya Pratishthan College ground in Baramati, located approximately 100 km from Pune city, with the presence of thousands of mourners and prominent political figures.
On Friday, Pawar's sons, Parth and Jay, collected his ashes from the cremation ground. The late leader's uncle, NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar, and other family members were present during the ritual.
As slogans of “Amar Rahe, Amar Rahe” echoed across the ground, Pawar’s sons, Parth and Jay, lit the funeral pyre at around 12:15 pm.
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The funeral was attended by not only immediate family, including his wife and Rajya Sabha MP Sunetra Pawar, but also a number of national and state leaders. Among those present were NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar, Baramati MP Supriya Sule, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Union Ministers Nitin Gadkari and Murlidhar Mohol, Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, MNS Chief Raj Thackeray, and Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee President Harshavardhan Sapkal.