'A Woman Attached To Her Roots': Uttar Pradesh Village Mourns Flight Attendant's Death In Ajit Pawar Plane Crash
Pinky Mali from Bhaisa village in Jaunpur was on board the ill-fated VT-SSK Learjet 45, which crashed at the Baramati airport on Wednesday morning.
Published : January 28, 2026 at 5:02 PM IST
Jaunpur: The death of Pinky Mali, a flight attendant, who died in a plane crash along with Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar and three others on Wednesday, has triggered a wave of shock and grief at her native village in Uttar Pradesh's Jaunpur.
Pinky, originally from Bhaisa village, worked as a flight attendant in the VSR Aviation-operated VT-SSK Learjet 45, which crashed at the Baramati airport killing all five people on board. Besides Pawar and the attendant, the deceased also included two crew members.
It is understood that Pinky Mali's father, Shivkumar, a resident of Bhaisa village in Kerakat tehsil, had moved to Mumbai several years ago. Pinky Mali received her education in Thane. She was married in Gorakhpur a year ago.
Raju Pal, the village head of Bhaisa village, said that Shivkumar has three brothers: Brijbhushan Mali, Rajkumar Mali, and Santosh Mali. The village head said that Pinky Mali was very attached to her village and would visit every year to participate in the Durga Puja celebrations and help set up the pandal.
According to Pappu Mali, the national secretary of Apna Dal, Pinky's father, Shivkumar was a leader of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP). Pinky's entire family currently resides in Mumbai. However, they maintained their family connection with their ancestral village of Bhaisa and visited it from time to time, he said.
Ever since the news of the accident broke, a pall of gloom descended over Pinky's native Bhaisa village and the entire region. Pinky's family has been left devastated by the news of her sudden death. Villagers remember her as a hardworking, friendly, and promising young woman who had brought pride to the village and the district. Condolences are being expressed at the administrative and political levels regarding the plane crash.
Ajit Pawar's chartered plane crashed during landing in Baramati, Pune, on Wednesday morning. According to reports, Pawar was on way to Baramati to participate in public rallies in Pune as part of the Zila Parishad elections.
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