In a tragic development, Gujarat has relieved a sad and grim chapter of its political history as the state has feared losing its former Chief Minister and BJP leader Vijay Rupani during the Air India AI 171 plane crash near Ahmedabad.
Rupani, who was 68, was among the 242 other people on board the Boeing 787 Dreamliner. According to the reports, the plane crashed within five minutes after take-off and crashed into a residential area in Meghani Nagar.
Certain reports have claimed that Rupani was going to London to meet his daughter, Radhika Rupani and wife Anjali - who was residing in London for the last six months. Notably, Radhika was a CA by profession and was living in London with his husband and son.
Vijay Rupani -
The death of Gujarat's former CM was confirmed by National Commission of Minorities Chairman, Iqbal Singh Lalpura, who took his official social media. He took his official social media and shared a condolence message towards the families who lost their loved ones and outlined that the death of BJP leader Rupani is like a ‘personal loss’
Iqbal Singh Lalpura wrote, “Deeply saddened by the tragic Air India incident in Ahmedabad. My heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families who lost their loved ones. The passing of Sh. Vijay Rupani ji is a personal loss — he was a dear friend and a noble soul. Prayers for strength and peace.”
Vijay Rupani served as the 16th Chief Minister of Gujarat from August 2016 to September 2021. He has been counted as a prominent leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party, abbreviated as BJP.
Born on August 2, 1956 in Rangoon - now Yangon, Myanmar, Rupani’s political career spans across the decades. Beside being the Chief Minister of Gujarat, he has also served as the Mayor of Rajkot, between 1996 and 1997, Member of Parliament in the Rajya Sabha, between 2006 and 2012. Along with this, he has also worked as Gujarat's Minister of Transport, Labour and Water Supply.
Air India AI 171 plane crash -
On Thursday, Air India passenger aircraft, allegedly heading to London, plummeted in the heavily populated Meghani Nagar locality of Ahmedabad just minutes after taking off from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport. The plane had 242 on board, comprising passengers and crew.
Eyewitnesses described the plane descending just outside the airport perimeter, with huge clouds of smoke pouring out of the wreckage. The crash site was in a residential area, sparking worries of casualties both on board and on the ground. Footage from the scene indicates emergency responders and fire trucks mobilizing to the scene, which has been sealed off entirely by the authorities to allow for rescue and relief operations.
Soon after the crash, the respective and relevant departments were activated and started investigating the matter. However, the detailed information about the crash and possible reason behind the same is yet to be released.
As per preliminary information, the plane took off from Sardar Patel International Airport at around 1:38 pm and crashed at 1:40 pm.
Following this heart-wrenching crash, the Ahmedabad airport is not operational and the services will be suspended until prior information.
An anonymous spokesperson for SVPIA was quoted saying, “As a result of the Air India plane crash incident, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport (SVPIA), Ahmedabad, is currently not operational. All flight operations are temporarily suspended until further notice.”