Indian politician Scindia killed in crash
2001 — The deputy leader of India’s opposition Congress party, Madhavrao Scindia, died along with four journalists and three others when his private plane crashed in heavy rain in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh. Scindia, 56, was on his way to address a party rally at Kanpur ahead of the upcoming state assembly polls when the chartered 10-seater Cessna C-90 aircraft caught fire in mid-air and crashed near Mainpuri while attempting an emergency landing amidst unseasonal heavy rain. All eight occupants of the aircraft died in the accident. Scion of the erstwhile royal family of Gwalior, Scindia represented the young and dynamic face of the Congress party which was in shock. A police official said the Cessna’s single engine caught fire and the plane plunged into a paddy field. The aircraft broke into two, with one of the pieces submerged under water. Congress president Sonia Gandhi was said to depend heavily on Scindia to run the party and act as leader of the opposition in the lower house, the Lok Sabha.
September 30
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