Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Ajit Pawar was cremated on Thursday, 29 January, in his hometown of Baramati, Maharashtra, a day after he was tragically killed in a plane crash.
The funeral was conducted in the presence of thousands of party workers and supporters, who were seen in tears, amid chants of 'Dada, Parat Ya' (Ajit Pawar, come back), and 'Ajit Dada Amar Rahe' (Ajit Pawar is immortal).
Ajit Pawar's private charter plane crashed while landing at Baramati airport on 28 January, leading to the deaths of Pawar and four others on board.
His mortal remains were identified by his sons, Parth and Jay Pawar, from his wristwatch at Baramati Medical College.
The mortal remains were kept for supporters to pay their last respects on Thursday, following which they were taken to Katewadi village.
The entire Pawar family, including his wife Sunetra Pawar, brother Sriniwas Pawar, nephews Rohit and Yugendra Pawar, cousins Supriya Sule, Ranjit Pawar, and Rajendra Pawar, was present for the last rites.
The funeral was also attended by political leaders across the spectrum, including Union Ministers Amit Shah and Nitin Gadkari, Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis, Deputy CM Eknath Shinde, former CM Sushilkumar Shinde, and NCP leaders Praful Patel and Chhagan Bhujbal, among others.
'No Politics Here...': Sharad Pawar
Nationalist Congress Party founder Sharad Pawar on Wednesday, 28 January, issued a statement, following West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee's insinuation of a 'conspiracy' behind his death.
"Ajit Pawar's untimely death is a massive shock to Maharashtra. The state has today lost a capable and decisive leader. The loss that has occurred cannot be compensated, but not everything is in our hands.
"I wasn't planning to come before the media today, but I learned that some media outlets have taken a stance from Kolkata suggesting that there is some politics behind this accident. But there is no politics in this; it is purely an accident. The agony of this death is felt by Maharashtra, by all of us. Please do not bring politics into this. That's all I have to say," he said.