Ajit Pawar's Funeral Will Be Held at Vidya Pratishtan at 11am; Sharad Pawar arrives for last rites

Baramati: NCP chief Sharad Pawar on Thursday arrived at Vidya Pratishthan ground for the last rites of his nephew and Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister, Ajit Pawar, who died on Wednesday after a plane crashed while landing in Baramati airport.

Where will the funeral happen?

Funeral preparations for the last rites of the 66-year-old leader are underway at Vidya Pratishthan ground.

The funeral procession of Ajit Pawar has begun from his Katewadi residence, with full state honours being accorded.

Full state honours were accorded to Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar as his funeral procession began.

The procession will soon reach the Vidya Pratishthan ground, after covering a distance of around six kilometres, where the funeral is scheduled for 11 am.

The mortal remains of the Nationalist Congress Party leader, who died due to the plane crash, were kept at his residence in Katewadi, Baramati. 

The arrangement will allow about thousands of supporters to pay their final respects to the six-time deputy CM before the funeral rites at Vidya Pratishthan.

Who all will attend the funeral?

Many prominent leaders like Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah are likely to attend the funeral.

How did the accident happen?

The aircraft, a Learjet 45, which took off from Mumbai at around 8 am, crashed while attempting an emergency landing at Baramati airport. 

Who was on board?

According to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) statement, the 66-year-old leader was onboard along with two personnel, one PSO and one attendant, and two crew members, the Pilot-in-Command (PIC) and the First Officer (FO).

"As per initial information, no person on board has survived the crash," DGCA said.

What is the reason for the plane crash?

The DGCA and the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) will investigate the reason behind the plane crash.