Guwahati: Gujarat is once again facing a somber moment in its political history, as former Chief Minister Vijay Rupani has been confirmed among the casualties of the Air India AI-171 crash. Rupani, who served as the state’s 16th Chief Minister from 2016 to 2021 and was a senior BJP leader, was 68.
The tragedy unfolded when the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, en route to London, crashed into a residential area in Meghani Nagar just five minutes after taking off from Ahmedabad. The aircraft was carrying 242 people and was under the command of Captain Sumit Sabharwal and co-pilot Clive Kunder.
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Eyewitnesses described the crash as sudden and terrifying, with a massive explosion and towering plumes of black smoke engulfing the neighborhood. Emergency responders rushed to the scene, battling the fire and launching urgent rescue operations.
As the death toll continues to climb, the news of Rupani’s death has sent shockwaves through Gujarat and the national political fraternity.
A Tragic Echo: Balwantrai Mehta’s Death
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The incident draws a tragic parallel to the death of Balwantrai Mehta, Gujarat’s second Chief Minister, who died in an air crash in 1965. A committed Gandhian, Mehta was flying from Ahmedabad to Mithapur when his Beechcraft was mistakenly shot down by the Pakistani Air Force near the Rann of Kutch during the Indo-Pak war.
Two F-86 Sabre jets opened fire on the civilian aircraft, mistaking it for a military threat. Mehta, his wife Sarojben, aides, a journalist, and two crew members were all killed.
Despite Pakistan later attributing the attack to misidentification, no official apology was ever issued. The incident remains one of India’s most haunting political aviation tragedies.
Other Political Aviation Tragedies
Gujarat is not alone in experiencing such profound losses. In 2009, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy died in a helicopter crash in the dense Nallamala forests, attributed to a combination of severe weather, mechanical failure, and pilot error.
Similarly, in 2011, Dorjee Khandu, the Chief Minister of Arunachal Pradesh, was killed when his helicopter crashed into a mountainside due to adverse weather conditions. His body was discovered days later at a treacherous altitude of 13,700 feet, disfigured and ravaged by the Himalayan cold. Sources
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