Ajit Pawar Dies In Plane Crash As India Faces Tumultuous Day

On January 29, 2026, India awoke to a day packed with dramatic developments, spanning from political tremors to technological leaps, and from tragic loss to new beginnings. The country’s headlines were dominated by the shocking death of Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar in a plane crash—a loss that sent ripples through the nation’s political landscape. Yet, even as the nation mourned, the day unfolded with a flurry of newsworthy moments, reflecting the ever-changing tapestry of Indian society, governance, and ambition.

The biggest story of the day was the untimely demise of Ajit Pawar, a veteran leader of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and a towering figure in Maharashtra politics. According to The Federal, Pawar, aged 66, lost his life alongside four others when a chartered aircraft crashed just 200 metres short of the runway at Baramati airport. The tragedy not only robbed Maharashtra of a seasoned administrator but also a politician who, as noted by The Federal, was both respected and, at times, feared—a rare combination in the world of Indian politics. Despite controversies that dogged his career, Pawar’s political savvy allowed him to reclaim his place at the table time and again, regardless of electoral outcomes.

Baramati, the stronghold of the Pawar family, became the focus of national attention as thousands gathered to pay their last respects at a funeral conducted with full state honours. The outpouring of grief was palpable, with mourners from all walks of life coming together to bid farewell to a leader who, for better or worse, had left an indelible mark on Maharashtra’s political history.

Elsewhere, the day saw the Rajasthan Assembly grappling with a very different kind of challenge: the rising frequency of leopards straying into Jaipur’s residential colonies. Forest and Environment Minister Sanjay Sharma informed the Assembly that there had been seven such incidents over the past year. In response, the state’s forest department has ramped up efforts to prevent further incursions. Two Quick Response Teams (QRTs) were constituted in December 2024, remaining on 24-hour alert in hotspot areas like Malviya Nagar and Vidhyadhar Nagar. Trained trackers from Ranthambore, along with six newly trained local personnel, are now continuously monitoring the movement of leopards. Additional measures—such as the construction of six new water holes and the installation of 20 new camera traps, bringing the total to 60—aim to reduce human-wildlife conflict and keep both residents and wildlife safe.

Economic policy was also in the spotlight, with the Railway Ministry presenting its latest figures in the Economic Survey for 2025-26. Over the past five years, passenger fares have been rationalised three times—on January 1, 2020, July 1, 2025, and December 26, 2025. As a result, freight earnings, traditionally the backbone of the Railways’ income, have declined from 68% in FY23 to 65% in FY25 and are projected to fall further to 62% in FY26. The Survey highlighted the ongoing challenge of cross-subsidisation, where profits from freight traffic are used to offset losses from passenger and other services. Despite these efforts, passenger operations still posted an uncovered loss of Rs 5,257 crore in FY23. The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) has recommended a critical analysis of passenger operation costs, urging the Railways to reduce losses and diversify its freight basket.

On the international front, World Bank group president Ajay Banga, during a visit to Bhubaneswar, urged India to shift its focus from tariffs to broader trade opportunities. As reported by The Federal, Banga noted that India has signed more than 100 regional and bilateral trade pacts in the past two decades, with the recent India-EU free trade agreement standing out as a significant achievement. Banga emphasized, “Think less about the tariffs, and more about the opportunities like you (India) have done (the FTA) with the European Union.” He further pointed out that global trade has quadrupled over the past twenty years, with emerging markets like India now accounting for 40% of global trade—a doubling of their share from just two decades ago.

Meanwhile, in Telangana, the political temperature rose as the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing allegations of phone tapping during the previous Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) regime issued a notice to former chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao (KCR). The notice, delivered on January 29, requested Rao to appear for examination in Hyderabad on January 30. KCR’s son, KT Rama Rao, lashed out at the Congress government, calling the move “the most despicable vendetta politics” and an attempt to distract from governance failures. “This is not an investigation… This is revenge. This is not justice…This is political malice. The BRS condemns the vendetta politics and people would teach the Congress a lesson,” he stated in a release.

In a remarkable show of scientific collaboration, the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Delhi hosted a meeting of directors from all 20 AIIMS institutions to sign a memorandum of understanding, launching a pan-India collaborative research consortium. According to an official statement, this initiative aims to strengthen coordinated biomedical and clinical research, facilitate joint projects, and enable the systematic sharing of knowledge and best practices. The consortium is envisioned as a national network leveraging the combined expertise and infrastructure of the AIIMS system to address India’s most pressing health challenges.

Legal drama also unfolded in the Delhi High Court, where Justice Mini Pushkarna issued summons to Priya Kapur and others in a lawsuit filed by Rani Kapur, the 80-year-old mother of late industrialist Sunjay Kapur. Rani Kapur alleges that the family Trust, created in her name in 2017, was based on forged and fraudulent documents. The court has asked the defendants, including Sunjay Kapur’s children with actor Karisma Kapoor, to file written submissions and respond to the plea for interim relief.

Diplomatic relations took center stage in Beijing, where Chinese President Xi Jinping met with UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer—the first British leader to visit China in eight years. According to Xinhua, President Xi stressed the importance of both nations supporting free trade and practicing “true multilateralism.” He remarked, “The international law can only be truly effective when all countries abide by it,” and insisted that major countries must lead by example to prevent a descent into the “law of the jungle.” Downing Street later affirmed the leaders’ shared commitment to building a long-term, strategic partnership.

Closer to home, Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi announced ambitious plans to bolster the state’s aviation ecosystem. A flying training organisation will be established at Dandbose Airport to train 50 commercial pilots annually, while the state’s first drone training and testing centre will open at Rangeilunda Airstrip, aiming to train over 100 pilots each year. “These forward-looking initiatives will strengthen Odisha’s aviation ecosystem, equip our youth with future-ready skills, and position Odisha as a key contributor to India’s emerging technology-driven economy,” Majhi declared. The state’s Commerce and Transport Department signed two Memoranda of Understanding to support these efforts at the ‘Wings India 2026’ event in Hyderabad.

In a move set to democratize digital creativity, Bharti Airtel announced it will provide 360 million Indians with free access to Adobe Express Premium for one year. This partnership, described as the first of its kind globally, will allow Airtel customers to create high-quality digital content at no cost via the Airtel Thanks App. The app, typically worth Rs 4,000, will be available to mobile, DTH, and Wi-Fi subscribers, empowering users to craft videos, marketing materials, and social media assets with ease.

Finally, in Meghalaya’s East Khasi district, the renowned village of Mawlynnong—celebrated as Asia’s cleanest village—decided to close its doors to single-day tourists on Sundays. The village council, or Dorbar, explained that Sunday is a day of religious observance for most residents, making it difficult to provide hospitality services. All tourist-related activities, including restaurants and public toilets, will be shut on Sundays, although overnight guests will be exempted. The move aims to avoid inconvenience to visitors and preserve the village’s hard-earned reputation, with similar measures being adopted by other tourist destinations in Meghalaya.

From tragedy and tribute to innovation and international diplomacy, January 29, 2026, offered a vivid snapshot of a nation in flux—coping with loss, seizing new opportunities, and navigating the complex currents of a rapidly changing world.