BARAMATI: The last rites of Vidip Dilip Jadhav, personal security officer (PSO) to Maharashtra deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar, were performed by his family in their native village in Satara district on Wednesday night. His young son lit the funeral pyre.Jadhav was among the five people killed when a chartered aircraft crash-landed in Baramati on Tuesday.
A neighbour, Shruti Walekar, appealed to the government to provide adequate compensation to Jadhav’s family and stressed the need for a thorough investigation into the cause of the crash.“This is really sad. He is survived by his parents, wife, daughter and son. The government should provide them with some compensation, as they have a family. The crash should be investigated, and action should be taken against the company concerned,” Walekar said.Another neighbour of Jadhav, Rishikesh, said, “We have known him ever since he moved here. Today, we lost a man who was friendly with everyone. This is very sad. This is an irreparable loss.”Meanwhile, officials from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and forensic teams are investigating the crash site.Deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar was travelling to Baramati to attend a public rally for the Zilla Parishad elections when the chartered aircraft carrying him crash-landed.Earlier on Wednesday, Pawar’s mortal remains were brought to his residence in Katewadi ahead of his last rites. The funeral procession of Maharashtra’s longest-serving deputy chief minister (non-consecutively) will begin from the Vidya Pratishthan campus (Gadima) at 9 am on Thursday, pass through the city to allow people to pay their respects, and culminate at the Vidya Pratishthan Ground, where the funeral will be held at 11 am.Born on July 22, 1959, in Deolali Pravara in Rahuri taluka of Ahmednagar district, Ajit Pawar was fondly known as “Ajit Dada” for his tireless work and deep connection with the people of Maharashtra.Apart from his role in government administration, Pawar played a key role in managing several cooperative institutions, including milk unions, federations, and sugar factories.Ajit Pawar was the longest-serving deputy chief minister of Maharashtra in non-consecutive terms, having held the post six times. He served as DCM in the cabinets led by Prithviraj Chavan, Devendra Fadnavis, Uddhav Thackeray, and Eknath Shinde.(With agency inputs)
