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His dependable filled with emotion and his eyes welling up, a distraught Shivkumar Mali said his girl had promised to talk to him “tomorrow”, but that infinitesimal volition ne'er come.
Ajit Pawar dies successful Baramati formation crash: Follow LIVE updates connected January 28, 2026
His girl Pinky Mali was among those killed successful the Baramati level clang that besides claimed the beingness of Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar.
“Pappa, I americium flying to Baramati time (Wednesday) with DCM Ajit Pawar. After dropping him, I volition spell to Nanded and volition talk to you erstwhile I scope the hotel…” Mr. Shivkumar, a nonmigratory of Prabhadevi successful Central Mumbai, said, recounting his past speech with his daughter.
Pinky was an attendant connected the Learjet 46, operated by Delhi-based VSR Ventures, that crash-landed astatine the Baramati airport. There were 5 radical onboard, including the unit members, according to the aviation regulator DGCA.
She had flown with the President, Chief Ministers and respective governmental leaders, Mr. Shivkumar said, adding that she was flying with Ajit Pawar for the 4th time.
“I spoke to her past evening, and she told maine that she would beryllium going to Baramati with Deputy CM Ajit Pawar and would past proceed to Nanded. I told her ‘let america talk time aft your duty’. But that time volition ne'er come,” said Mr. Shivkumar, his eyes moist.
The father, who is besides an activistic of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) that Pawar headed, said a section person named Samadhan Sarvankar informed him astir Ajit Pawar’s level crash.
“I switched connected the television. The quality near maine shocked,” helium said.
The begetter and girl had past met connected January 16, erstwhile Pinky visited Prabhadevi from Thane to formed her ballot successful the civic polls. Mr. Shivkumar said they spoke frequently.
Pinky had been moving arsenic a formation attendant for the past 5 years. She started with Air India and moved to backstage chartered flights aft a mates of years, helium said.
“During a caller formation with Ajit Pawar, my girl complained to him that helium was travelling crossed Maharashtra but was not paying attraction to NCP activists. When Pawar asked her wherefore she felt so, Pinky told him that I person been an NCP idiosyncratic for 35 years,” Mr. Shivkumar said, adding the enactment had elicited a telephone from the lawman CM’s side.
“As I was driving a car, the telephone went unanswered. Then I got a connection that Pawar wanted to talk to me,” helium said. Even that telephone volition ne'er happen, helium added.
After learning astir the accident, Mr. Shivkumar and his household rushed to Baramati.
Besides Pawar and Pinky, the different victims person been identified arsenic Vidip Jadhav, Captain Shambhavi Pathak and Captain Sumit Kapur.
Vidip Jadhav, a constabulary naik attached to the Special Protection Unit of the Mumbai police, had taken disconnected with Pawar and others from Kalina connected Wednesday (January 28, 2026) morning. A nonmigratory of Vitava adjacent Thane, helium is survived by his wife, lad and mother. His household besides headed for Baramati aft being informed astir the tragedy.
Captain Shambhavi Pathak was the co-pilot connected the Learjet 46. According to her societal media profile, she had been with VSR Ventures for the past 3 years. It says she received commercialized aviator grooming successful 2018-19 astatine the New Zealand International Commercial Pilot Academy Limited. Earlier, she studied Aeronautics, Aviation, Aerospace Science and Technology from Mumbai University betwixt 2020 and 2022.
