Vijay Rupani: Former Indian State Minister Dies in London-bound Plane Crash, "Tragic Passing"

• Former Gujarat chief minister Vijay Ramniklal Rupani, who was on the Air India flight that crashed in Ahmedabad, has died
• The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner aircraft bound for London crashed seconds after taking off near Ahmedabad Airport
• Rupani served as the chief minister of Gujarat from August 2016 to September 2021, before resigning ahead of the 2022 state elections

Ahmedabad, India - Senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and former Gujarat chief minister Vijay Rupani died in the Air India flight crash in Ahmedabad on Thursday, June 12.

Legit.ng reports that Gujarat is a state in western India, situated on the Arabian Sea coast.

The ill-fated plane was headed to Gatwick Airport in London, the United Kingdom (UK), when it crashed in a civilian area near the Ahmedabad Airport.

As reported by NDTV, Gujarat BJP president CR Patil disclosed that Vijay Rupani was among the victims of the tragic plane crash that claimed the lives of at least 290 people.

Patil divulged:

"Our leader and former chief minister, Vijay Rupani, was going (to London) to meet his family. He is also a victim in this incident. May his soul rest in peace. This is a big loss for the BJP."

Indian leader meets Rupani's family members

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday, June 13, met Rupani's relatives and remembered him as a humble and hardworking leader.

Rupani, 68, was among the more than 240 passengers of the London-bound flight who died in the horrific crash on Thursday afternoon, June 12.

Modi wrote on his verified X (formerly Twitter) handle with an accompanying picture:

"Met the family of Shri Vijaybhai Rupani Ji.

"It is unimaginable that Vijaybhai is not in our midst. I’ve known him for decades. We worked together, shoulder to shoulder, including during some of the most challenging times. Vijaybhai was humble and hardworking, firmly committed to the Party's ideology.

"Rising up the ranks, he held various responsibilities in the Organisation and went on to serve diligently as Gujarat’s chief minister."

Rupani: Indian minister extends condolences

In the same vein, Union home minister Amit Shah expressed deep sorrow on Friday, June 13, over Rupani's demise, calling his death 'hard to believe.'

In a post on X, Amit Shah wrote:

"I worked for a long time in the organisation with former Gujarat chief minister Vijaybhai Rupani ji. Whether it was strengthening the organisation as the state president or keeping Gujarat's development journey moving as the chief minister, Vijaybhai fulfilled every responsibility with full responsibility. It is difficult to believe that he is no longer amongst us."

Read more on the Indian plane crash:

• List of names of those lost in the plane crash that killed over 200 released
• Air India: Families in pain as they give DNA samples to help identify loved ones who died in crash

Indian leader visits plane crash site

Earlier, Legit.ng reported that Modi visited the crash site of the ill-fated plane crash in Ahmedabad.

Modi shared photographs from his visit via his official X page.

There, the Indian leader met officials and teams working in the aftermath of the tragedy.

Proofreading by James Ojo, copy editor at Legit.ng.

Source: Legit.ng