Yesterday, Maharashtra’s Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar died in a private plane crash at Baramati. This was yet another incident when an Indian politician died an UNNATURAL DEATH. Many Indian politicians have been killed in unnatural deaths- like road accidents, assassinations, air crashes and some other mysterious circumstances.
In India’s political history, several political leaders have lost their lives not due to natural causes but because of accidents, violence, terrorism, or other unexplained events. These deaths have often altered political trajectories and changed national politics.
Here are some known Indian politicians who died unnatural deaths:
1 Mahatma Gandhi(1948)– Most prominent leader of India’s independence movement. He was assassinated by Nathuram Godse at New Delhi. The reason being ideological opposition to Gandhi’s view on Hindu-Muslim unity. The impact was that it shook the nation, led to stricter laws against extremist groups.
2 Indira Gandhi (1984) – She was Prime Minister at the time of her death. She was assassinated by her own Sikh Bodyguards at her residence in New Delhi. This was in response to her ordering Operation Blue Star at Golden Temple, Amritsar. The impact her assassination was that the Congress party orchestrated nation wide anti-Sikh riots where more than 3000 Sikhs were killed.
3 Rajiv Gandhi (1991)– At the time of his assassination he was former Prime Minister and was campaigning for the national elections where he was being projected as next Prime Minister. He was assassinated by a suicide bomber of LTTE at Sriperumbudur, Tamilnadu. The reason for his assignation was LTTE’s opposition to Indian Peace keeping force in Sri Lanka. His death changed India’s anti-terror laws and security protocols.
4 Lalit Maken(1985)– He was a Congress MP, who was shot dead by a Sikh group, and it was considered as revenge killing after 1984 anti-Sikh riots.
5 Beant Singh (1995)- At the time of his death he was Chief Minister of Punjab. He was assassinated by a suicide bomber in Chandigarh, because he played a key role in ending militancy in Punjab.
6 YS Rajasekhara Reddy– He died in a Holicopter crash in Nallamala forest, Andhra Pradesh, at the time of his death he was CM of Andhra Pradesh.
7 Madhavrao Scindia– At the time of his death he was Union Minister. He died in plane crash near Mainpuri, Uttar Pradesh. His death was amajor loss to the Congress party.
8 Dorjee Kandu –At the time of his death he was CM of Arunachal Pradesh, and he died in a Helicopter crash in Tawang region.
9 Gopinath Munde– He was Union Minister of Rural Development, and he died in road accident on his way to airport in New Delhi (2014).
10 Sanjay Gandhi– He was son of then PM Indira Gandhi, he died in a private plane crash which he was flying in New Delhi. His death changed the succession politics within Congress.
11 Phoolan Devi– at the time of her death she was Samajwadi Party MP, and she was shot dead in New Delhi. It was known as revenge killing linked to her past.
12 Rajesh Pilot– He also died in a road accident while travelling to Rajasthan.
13 C Balayogi– He also died in air crash in Andhra Pradesh, at the time of his death he was speaker of Lok Sabha.
14 Mohan Kumaramanglam– At the time of his death, he was Union Minister for Steel and Mines. He died in Indian Airlines flight which crashed near Delhi.
15 Lal Bahadur Shastri– He was PM of India, who died in mysterious circumstances in Tashkent (USSR). Although official version was that he suffered a heart attack, but till date there is doubt in public’s mind about how he died.
16 Zail Singh– He was former President of India, who died because of injuries sustained in road accident near Chandigarh in 1994.
Now how the death of Ajit Pawar will impact Maharashtra’s politics is to be seen.
Anil Malik
Mumbai, India
29th January 2026