Tragedy struck the nation as former Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani was confirmed among the 241 victims of Air India Flight AI171, which crashed shortly after take-off from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport on the afternoon of June 12. CCTV footage, now integral to the official investigation, shows Rupani entering the Ahmedabad terminal just hours before the ill-fated Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner departed for London. The visuals provide a somber timestamp in what has now become one of India’s deadliest aviation disasters. Air India officially confirmed Rupani’s death late Thursday. Authorities are continuing efforts to identify victims through DNA analysis, due to the intensity of the crash and resulting fire.Following reports of the crash earlier on Thursday, there was a tense atmosphere outside Rupani's Rajkot residence. Neighbours, worried and teary-eyed, had gathered outside his home.
Vijay Rupani, 68, was a veteran political figure in Gujarat and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). He served as the state’s Chief Minister from August 2016 to September 2021, leading Gujarat through crucial phases including the COVID-19 pandemic and its economic repercussions. At the time of the accident, Rupani was serving as the BJP’s state in-charge for Punjab. His political journey included a stint in the Rajya Sabha from 2006 to 2012 and a pivotal role in shaping Gujarat’s development policies. Notably, his government introduced the Gujarat Industrial Policy 2020, which focused on industrializing underdeveloped and tribal regions of the state. Rupani voluntarily stepped down from the Chief Minister’s post in 2021, clearing the path for Bhupendra Patel’s leadership ahead of the assembly elections.