Ahmedabad plane crash: Ex-Gujarat CM Vijay Rupani dead. Political leaders India has lost to air crashes in the past
A devastating air tragedy shook Gujarat on Thursday afternoon when an
Air India
flight bound for London crashed shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad's Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport. The wide-body Boeing 787 Dreamliner, carrying over 240 passengers and crew, plunged into the Meghani locality, setting off a massive blaze that blanketed the skies in smoke and triggered a full-scale emergency response.
Among those confirmed dead was former Gujarat Chief Minister
Vijay Rupani
, a towering figure in the state's political landscape. Rupani, who had served as the 16th Chief Minister from 2016 to 2021 and represented Rajkot West in the state assembly, was en route to London when the tragedy occurred. Senior BJP leader Bhupendrasinh Chudasama, visibly shaken, confirmed Rupani's presence on the flight and the news of his demise.
Rupani is survived by his wife and two children. The couple had previously lost their youngest son, Pujit, in an accident — a grief that led them to establish the Pujit Rupani Memorial Trust, dedicated to philanthropic work across Gujarat.
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Union Home Minister Amit Shah
spoke to Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel and senior state officials, assuring full central support as rescue teams and forensic experts examined the wreckage. Aviation authorities suggested that the aircraft's heavy fuel load for the international route likely intensified the post-crash fire, complicating both rescue operations and identification efforts. A formal investigation has been launched by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), with Boeing engineers expected to join the probe.
Rupani's tragic death adds to a somber list of Indian political leaders who have lost their lives in aircraft accidents — an eerie pattern that continues to haunt the nation's political history.
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Balwantrai Gopalji Mehta
Balwantrai Gopalji Mehta, the second Chief Minister of Gujarat and a senior Congress leader, was killed in an air crash during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965. Known as the 'Architect of Panchayati Raj' for his role in democratic decentralisation, Mehta was flying from Mithapur to the Kutch border on 19 September 1965 in a civilian Beechcraft aircraft. The plane, piloted by ex-IAF officer Jahangir Engineer, was mistakenly shot down by the Pakistan Air Force. Mehta died along with his wife, staff members, a journalist, and the crew, marking one of the earliest instances of a sitting CM dying in a military conflict.
— vinodnambardar (@vinodnambardar)
Dorjee Khandu
Then CM of Arunachal Pradesh, Dorjee Khandu died in a helicopter crash while flying from Tawang to Itanagar in 2011. After five days of frantic search across the dense West Kameng forests, his wrecked Pawan Hans chopper was discovered. Poor aircraft conditions and rough terrain are believed to have contributed to the fatal incident.
— PemaKhanduBJP (@PemaKhanduBJP)
O.P. Jindal and Surender Singh
In 2005, industrialist and Haryana power minister O.P. Jindal, along with agriculture minister Surender Singh, perished when their King Cobra helicopter crashed near Saharanpur. The duo had taken off after a political meeting in Delhi, only to meet a tragic end en route to Chandigarh.
YS Rajasekhara Reddy
Andhra Pradesh CM YSR Reddy's helicopter went missing in 2009 during a stormy flight across the forested Nallamala region. The search operation lasted nearly 24 hours before confirming his death. His welfare schemes had made him immensely popular, and reports claimed over a hundred supporters died in shock following the tragedy.
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— VSReddy_MP (@VSReddy_MP)
Madhavrao Scindia
A towering Congress figure and nine-term MP, Scindia was traveling to a rally in Kanpur in 2001, when his private Beechcraft aircraft crashed in Uttar Pradesh's Mainpuri district. The fire-engulfed wreckage left all eight on board dead, including prominent journalists. His death ended the political journey of a leader often seen as a future Prime Minister.
— IndiaHistorypic (@IndiaHistorypic)
Sanjay Gandhi
Sanjay Gandhi, the younger son of Indira Gandhi and a rising Congress star, died in a plane crash in 1980 while performing aerial acrobatics in Delhi. His passion for flying cost him dearly, bringing a sudden end to what many believed was the political heirship of the Gandhi dynasty.
G.M.C. Balayogi
Serving as the Speaker of the Lok Sabha during 2002, Balayogi was returning from a function in Andhra Pradesh when his Bell helicopter crashed into coconut groves due to low flying. The incident claimed his life, along with his pilot and security officer, marking a dark day in Indian parliamentary history.
Mohan Kumaramangalam
in 1973, an influential parliamentarian, Kumaramangalam died when Indian Airlines Flight 440 crashed in Delhi. His body was identified not through records or visual confirmation, but via his Parker pen and hearing aid — a haunting detail symbolic of many such aviation tragedies.
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A recurring shadow in Indian politics
While air travel is essential for the fast-paced demands of public service, the sky has often proven treacherous for India's leaders. As the country awaits word on Vijay Rupani's fate, the Ahmedabad crash painfully reminds us that behind every aviation disaster lies not just metal wreckage, but ruptured leadership, unfinished legacies, and national grief.
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