Ministers' trip to Delhi ends in tragedy

Two important ministers of the newly installed Haryana state government died in a helicopter crash yesterday.

Noted industrialist O.P. Jindal, rated the 12th richest Indian by Forbes magazine, and former Haryana chief minister Bansi Lal's younger son, Surender Singh, died along with pilot Colonel P.S. Chauhan when the helicopter they were travelling in crashed in Saharanpur district of Uttar Pradesh.

Another industrialist-turned-politician, Ved Goyal, a member of the Haryana assembly, survived the accident along with security guard Vinod Yadav, when the engine of the helicopter failed.

Jindal, 75, and Singh 59, were both first time ministers.

Jindal, whose son Naveen Jindal is a Congress parliamentarian, had taken over as energy minister of the Haryana Government last month while Surender Singh was agriculture minister.

Jindal died on the spot and Singh died while on his way to hospital.

The private helicopter owned by Jindal had taken off from Haryana's capital Chandigarh and was on its way to the national capital New Delhi when it crashed in a paddy field yesterday afternoon.

Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda rushed to the spot. A state funeral has been announced for the two leaders.

Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh, currently on a state visit to Mauritius, expressed his shock and grief at the death of the two ministers. Federal Minister for Civil Aviation Praful Patel has ordered an inquiry into the cause of the crash.

"The helicopter started losing height and within a minute of the pilot saying the engine had failed, it came crashing down," Ved Goyal told private news channel Aaj Tak by phone from his hospital bed. He has fractured his right leg. Security guard Yadav was taken to Chandigarh in a critical condition for further treatment.

Surender Singh was instrumental in getting his father's Haryana Vikas Party to merge with the parent Congress party late last year, helping the Congress party sweep polls in Haryana elections by winning a three-fourth majority.

Surender's wife, Kiran Chaudhary, a former deputy speaker of Delhi assembly, rushed to the accident site along with federal Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee.