IAF Mirage fighter jet crashes in MP's Shivpuri district; both pilots eject safely
Gwalior, Feb 6 (PTI): A Mirage-2000 fighter aircraft of the Indian Air Force crashed in an agriculture field in Madhya Pradesh's Shivpuri district on Thursday afternoon after encountering a system malfunction, said the IAF.
Both pilots ejected safely but suffered minor injuries and were being airlifted to Gwalior by a helicopter, officials said.
The twin-seater trainer aircraft, which was on a routine sortie, caught fire after crashing at around 2.40 pm, said a Central Air Command spokesperson, adding a snag led to the accident.
"A Mirage 2000 aircraft of the IAF crashed near Shivpuri (Gwalior), during a routine training sortie today, after encountering a system malfunction. Both the pilots ejected safely. An enquiry has been ordered by the IAF to ascertain the cause of the accident," the Air Force said in a post on social media platform X.
The fighter jet, which crashed in an agriculture field near a village in Shivpuri district, had taken off from the Gwalior Airbase, said the officials.
"Villagers informed that a plane had crashed near Barheta Sunari village under Karera police station limits. The Mirage aircraft with two pilots took off from the Gwalior Airbase. Both pilots ejected safely and suffered minor injuries. A helicopter was sent to the spot to airlift the pilots," Shivpuri district Additional Superintendent of Police Sanjeev Mule said.
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Sujit Nair raises concerns over speculation of DMK-AIADMK understanding to block TVK
Chennai: Journalist and political commentator Sujit Nair has expressed concern over speculation that the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam could explore a post-poll understanding to prevent Vijay-led Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam from forming the government in Tamil Nadu.
In a social media post, Sujit Nair said the election verdict in Tamil Nadu reflected a clear public demand for political change and argued that the mandate should be respected irrespective of political preferences.
Referring to reports and political discussions surrounding a possible understanding between the DMK and AIADMK, he said he hoped such developments remained only speculative conversations and did not turn into reality.
Nair stated that if such an alliance were to take shape, it would raise serious questions about ideological politics in the country. He said TVK had emerged through a democratic electoral process and that the legitimacy to govern in a parliamentary democracy comes from the people’s verdict.
According to him, attempts to prevent an electoral winner from forming the government through unexpected political arrangements may be constitutionally valid, but many people could view them as politically opportunistic.
He further said that such a move could particularly affect the political image of the DMK, which has historically projected itself around ideology, social justice and opposition politics. Nair said that in ideological terms, the DMK appeared closer to TVK than to the AIADMK, and joining hands with its long-time political rival only to remain in power could weaken its broader political narrative.
He added that the same questions would apply to the AIADMK as well, as the party had spent decades positioning itself against the DMK and such an arrangement could create discomfort among its cadre and supporters.
Drawing a comparison with Maharashtra politics in 2019, Nair said he had expressed similar views when the Shiv Sena formed an alliance with the Indian National Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party after the Assembly elections.
He said post-poll alliances between long-standing political rivals often create a public perception that ideology and electoral mandates become secondary when political power equations come into play.
Nair also said such developments increase public cynicism towards politics and reinforce the belief among voters that ideology is often sidelined after elections.
He maintained that the Tamil Nadu verdict was emphatic and said respecting both the spirit and substance of the mandate was important for the credibility of democratic politics.
