Accidents that took lives of political leaders

Accidental deaths of political leaders Image

Every year, thousands of deaths or injuries occur in India due to road accidents. Time and again, we have come across a number of deaths due to road accidents involving not only the common people but also prominent political leaders of the country. Whether we call it fate or blame it on the drivers; this clearly shows that the safety standards of the roads in the country need an urgent review. A number of prominent leaders have also died in plane crashes. Some of the well-known political personalities who have succumbed to accidents over the years include:

Gopinath Munde

• Profession: Deputy chief minister of Maharashtra, Union Minister for Rural Development and Panchayati Raj, senior leader of BJP, five-time MLA • Year of Death: 3 June 2014 • Place of death: Delhi How did he die? He was on his way to the airport, when a vehicle crashed into his car at Prithviraj road-Tughlak in the early morning. He apparently suffered a shock and cardiac arrest after the accident, which lead to his death.

Dorjee Khandu

• Profession: Arunachal Pradesh chief minister • Year of death: 30 April 2011 • Place of death: Tawang, Arunachal Pradesh How did he die? Dorjee Khandu died in a helicopter crash in a deep forested area. Khandu was travelling from Tawang to Itanagar when the pilot lost contact as it approached the Sela Pass 13,000 feet above sea level. It is said that bad weather must have led to difficulty in navigation.

YS Rajasekhara Reddy

• Profession: Two-time chief minister of Andhra Pradesh. He was among the most popular faces in the Congress and helped the party to come back to power in 2009. He was elected to the 9th, 10th, 11th, and 12th Lok Sabha from the Kadapa constituency. He was elected for five terms in the Andhra Pradesh assembly from the Pulivendula constituency. • Year of death: 2 September 2009 • Place of death: Rudrakonda Hill in Andhara Pradesh How did he die? He died in a helicopter crash. The helicopter, Bell 430, crashed in the dense Nallamal forest in the Rudrakonda Hill in Andhra Pradesh. The helicopter went missing for almost a day. A rescue operation was undertaken to trace the helicopter and after about 24 hours, his body was found, which was charred beyond recognition. The other members on board who were killed included, the special secretary to the CM, chief security officer, and the captain.

Sahib Singh Verma

• Profession: Delhi chief minister, Union labour minister in the Vajpayee Government, senior vice-president of the Bharatiya Janata Party, member of the 13th Lok Sabha, Parliament of India, senior BJP leader • Year of death: 30 June 2007 • Place of death: Shahajahanpur, Rajasthan How did he die? He died in a road accident on the Jaipur-Delhi highway (NH-8). His car collided with a truck near Jonaicha Khurd, Shahajahanpur. He was 64 years at the time of his death.

GMC Balayogi

• Profession: Elected to the parliament, Telugu Desam party leader, 12th Speaker of the Lok Sabha • Year of death: 3 March 2002 • Place of death: Kaikalur, Andhra Pradesh How did he die? He died in a helicopter crash in Kaikalur, which is in Krishna District, Andhra Pradesh. The pilot of the helicopter was trying to make an emergency landing due to poor visibility. An official report stated that the pilot landed in a pond by mistake.

Madhavrao Scindia

• Profession: Senior Congress leader, a nine-term member of the Lok Sabha, President of the Board of Control for Cricket in India, Maharaja of Gwalior • Place of death: Mainpuri district, Kanpur • Year of death: September 2001 How did he die? He was travelling in his private Cessna aircraft when it crashed on the outskirts of Mainpuri district. He and six others were killed on the spot. He was 56. Bad weather, along with cloudburst, probably led to the crash.

Rajesh Pilot

• Profession: Senior Congress leader, union minister of state for home and communications in the PV Narasimha Rao government, Squadron leader in the India Air Force • Year of death: 11 June 2000 • Place of death: Dausa in Rajasthan How did he die? He was killed in a tragic road accident while returning to Jaipur. The accident took place near his constituency Dausa. His jeep met with a head-on collision with a Rajasthan state roadways bus. He was 57. He was declared dead by the doctors at the hospital after battling for his life for about 45 minutes.

Gyani Zail Singh

• Profession: 7th President of India • Year of death: 25 December 1994 • Place of death: Ropar district in Punjab How did he die? His vehicle met with a serious accident in Ropar district in Punjab. He underwent a month-long treatment but unfortunately succumbed to his injuries. A local court had sentenced the truck driver, who was involved in the accident, to rigorous imprisonment for 2 years.

Sanjay Gandhi

• Profession: A pilot by profession, he was the younger son of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. He was expected to head the Indian National Congress but destiny had other things in store for him. • Year of death: 23 June 1980 • Place of death: Safdarjung Airport, Delhi How did he die? He died in an air crash in Delhi. He was flying a new plane and reportedly lost control while performing acrobatics. He died due to head injuries. He was 33. Read Also: Should rear seat belt be compulsory? Top 5 Indian political leaders who were assassinated What is Wrong With Indian Politics? Should Politicians Be Judged Based on Their Private Lives Should Politicians in India Be Educated? Where are the good politicians in India? Do you think politicians’ attires can fetch vote? Famous People in Politics Honest political leader How Competent are the Celebrity-turned politicians in India?