As Gujarat approaches the first anniversary of the Air India AI-171 crash on 12 June, state Health Minister Praful Pansheriya has paid tribute to former Chief Minister Vijay Rupani, describing the late Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader as a figure whose absence continues to be deeply felt — particularly in Rajkot and the broader Saurashtra region.

The Crash That Shook Gujarat

Rupani was among the 260 people killed when the London-bound Air India flight AI-171 crashed shortly after take-off from Ahmedabad on 12 June last year. The disaster claimed the lives of passengers, crew members, and people on the ground, making it one of the worst aviation tragedies in the state's history. There were no survivors on the aircraft.

Pansheriya Recalls the Moment of Shock

Pansheriya, who was serving as Education Minister at the time, said he first learned of the crash while attending a programme in Surat. 'I was attending a programme in Surat when we saw this news going viral on social media,' he said. 'We immediately came to know that our senior BJP leader Vijaybhai was also on board.'

The confirmation that no one had survived compounded the grief. 'Hearing that after the entire plane had crashed no one had survived was another tragic aspect of the incident. It caused immense sorrow,' he said.

A Leader Remembered for Service and Relationships

Pansheriya recalled working alongside Rupani both within the BJP organisation and during his tenure as Chief Minister. 'When he was Chief Minister, and even before that, I worked with him. He was also my senior leader in the organisation. From his early years until the time of the accident, he was regarded as an ideal political leader dedicated to public service and public life,' he noted.

He emphasised Rupani's personal approach to leadership. 'He always engaged with people, treated everyone in the organisation with respect and was a very good leader. Even today, we have not been able to forget him,' Pansheriya said.

Rajkot's Outpouring of Grief

Following DNA identification procedures, Rupani's mortal remains were brought to Rajkot, where thousands of residents lined the streets to pay their last respects. His funeral was conducted with full state honours and attended by senior political figures, including Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel.

'When his funeral procession took place in Rajkot, the entire city came out to pay tribute. That reflected his popularity and the work he had done,' Pansheriya said. The minister added that Rupani's development work across Rajkot and the Saurashtra region remains vivid in public memory.

A Year On: Pain That Has Not Faded

As the first anniversary approaches, Pansheriya said the memory of the disaster itself remains raw. 'The tragedy still causes immense pain. Even today, while speaking about it, I find it difficult to watch images of the plane falling and the flames erupting from it,' he said.

For Gujarat's political class and the public alike, 12 June will mark a year since both a catastrophic aviation disaster and the loss of a former chief minister whose career spanned decades of public life. The anniversary is expected to be observed across the state, with commemorations particularly concentrated in Rajkot.