NEW DELHI: Former Gujarat CM
Vijay Rupani became the latest addition to a tragic list of Indian political leaders who lost their lives in air accidents, after Air India flight AI-171 crashed shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad on Thursday. The London-bound Dreamliner was carrying 242 passengers, with Rupani among the confirmed fatalities.
This tragedy renews scrutiny on aviation safety involving public figures in India - an issue marred by repeated disasters and close escapes.
Among the most high-profile air crash victims are Sanjay Gandhi - the influential son of former PM Indira Gandhi - who died in 1980 while piloting a small aircraft in Delhi. His death left a political vacuum and changed the course of Congress politics. Years earlier, Mohan Kumaramangalam, Union steel and mines minister, was killed in the 1973 crash of Indian Airlines flight 440 near Delhi. His body was identified only by a Parker pen and his hearing aid.
Former Andhra Pradesh CM YS Rajasekhara Reddy perished in a 2009 chopper crash. In 2001, senior Congress leader and the then MP from Guna, Madhya Pradesh, Madhavrao Scindia died in a chartered plane crash in Uttar Pradesh - an incident that followed an earlier air scare in his political career which he survived. He had held key portfolios in Congress govts such as civil aviation, human resource development, railways, and communications.
In 2002, the then Lok Sabha speaker GMC Balayogi died in a chopper crash. Others include Dorjee Khandu (Arunachal Pradesh CM), OP Jindal (Haryana power minister), & Surendra Singh - son of ex-Haryana CM Bansi Lal - who died in 2005 in a crash near Saharanpur.
Notably, another Gujarat chief minister, Balwantrai Mehta, died in an air tragedy during the 1965 India-Pakistan war. His plane was mistakenly shot down by Pakistani fighter aircraft near the border, having been misidentified as a reconnaissance plane.
Yet, there have been remarkable survivals. In 1977, the then PM Morarji Desai escaped unhurt when his helicopter made an emergency landing in the Northeast. In 2001, Narendra Modi, then Gujarat CM, survived an emergency landing during earthquake relief operations in Bhuj.
M Venkaiah Naidu, former vice president, has had multiple near misses. In 2003, during taxiing, an engine fire broke out on an Air Deccan flight from Hyderabad to Vijayawada, carrying both Naidu and then Union minister Rajiv Pratap Rudy. The fire was contained before takeoff and all passengers were evacuated safely. In 2005, Naidu's helicopter made an emergency landing in Bihar's Gaya due to a technical failure. Minutes later, Naxals attacked and destroyed the grounded aircraft with a petrol bomb. Both he and the pilot escaped unhurt.
Rupani's death is likely to reignite urgent debate on the protocols and preparedness surrounding the air travel of India's top political leaders.
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Manash Pratim Gohain is a seasoned journalist with over two decad...
Read MoreManash Pratim Gohain is a seasoned journalist with over two decades at The Times of India, where he has built a rich body of work spanning education policy, politics, and governance. Renowned for his incisive coverage of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, accreditation reforms, and skilling initiatives, he has also reported on student politics, urban policy, and social movements. His political reportage—both reflective and news-driven—adds depth to his writing, bridging policy with public impact. Through his 2,500 articles and related outlets, he has emerged as a trusted voice in national discourse, particularly in linking education reform to broader societal change.
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