Trainer aircraft crashes after hitting power line in MP's Seoni; pilot, instructor injured
Seoni (MP) (PTI): A trainer aircraft belonging to a private aviation academy crashed on Monday evening after hitting a 33kV high voltage power line in Seoni district in Madhya Pradesh, resulting in injuries to the pilot and flight instructor, officials said.
The aircraft of Redbird Flight Training Academy, which has a base in Seoni, crashed near agriculture fields of Amagon, around 2km from the Suktara airstrip on National Highway-44 at 6:25 pm, a senior police official said.
Academy representatives told police the aircraft's engine stopped generating power and this led to the accident.
Pilot Ajit Chawda and flight instructor Ajit Anthony were injured in the crash which took place around 20km from the district headquarters, the official said.
Both are undergoing treatment at a private hospital in Barapathar near Seoni city, he said.
ALSO READ: Indigo crisis: Turbulence hits dreams of Gulf job aspirants in M’luru; interviews shifted to Mumbai
According to eyewitnesses, while landing on the runway, the lower part of the aircraft collided with 33 kV power line of the Badalpar substation.
The power line snapped and the trainer jet crashed to the ground, the official said, adding electricity supply was disrupted in the area.
On receiving information about the incident, Madhya Pradesh East Zone Electricity Distribution Company staffers, villagers and police rushed to the spot, rescued the injured persons and sent them to hospital.
Seoni Superintendent of Police Sunil Mehta told PTI that a team has been sent to the crash scene.
The injured pilot and the instructor are reported to be out of danger, said the police officer.
The aircraft, which took off from the Sukatra airstrip, was returning to the runway when it crashed, according to Ramlal Uike, Sarpanch of Amgaon Panchayat.
"A loud explosion was heard, sparks flew when the aircraft's wings touched the power line," Uike added.
According to Kurai town inspector Kripal Singh Tekam, Redbird Academy employees, citing preliminary investigations, told police the plane started descending after its engine stopped generating power.
The flight instructor immediately contacted the air controller station and the pilot was instructed to make a safe landing in nearby fields. During this landing, the plane collided with power line and crashed, he said.
Redbird Academy representatives were not available for comment on the incident.
Subhash Rai, Executive Engineer of Madhya Pradesh East Zone Electricity Distribution Company, (Seoni Division), said 80 to 90 villages around Badalpar and Gwari substations were plunged into darkness due to damage to the power line.
Power distribution company employees are working on restoring electricity in these villages, he said.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Karnataka Governor gives assent to legislation against ‘honour killing’ in inter-caste marriages
Bengaluru: The government has brought into force the Karnataka Freedom of Choice in Marriage and Prevention and Prohibition of Crimes in the name of honour and tradition (Eva Nammava Eva Nammava) Act, 2026, intended to restrict ‘honour killings’ in inter-caste marriages.
According to The Indian Express, the legislation received assent from Governor Thawar Chand Gehlot on April 9 and was officially notified in the state gazette on April 10. The law had been passed unanimously by the state legislature last month.
The Bill was proposed by the Congress government in the wake of caste-linked ‘honour killings’ in the state, including the December 21, 2025, murder near Hubli of a 20-year-old Lingayat woman by her father for marrying a man from another caste.
The phrase ‘Eva Nammava Eva Nammava’ in the title is in reference to the message of universal humanity that the Lingayat saint Basavanna espoused. Basavanna, who rebelled against the caste system to lay the foundation of the Lingayat faith system, an amalgamation of all castes, used the words meaning ‘he is a part of me’ to say all people are one.
Under the new law, crimes committed in the name of ‘honour’, including murder, assault, threats, and social boycott, are specifically addressed with stringent punishments. ‘Honour killing’ offences carry a minimum imprisonment of five years, while serious assaults attract at least three years in jail.
The new law defines the social boycott of inter-caste couples as forcible eviction to remote corners of villages, refusal to provide services, refusal to provide work, refusal to conduct business, denial of loans and admissions to schools, and makes it punishable.
In the case of ‘honour killings’ per se, the new law prescribes a minimum imprisonment of five years, and in the case of assaults, a prison term that is not less than three years for serious injury and two years for minor injuries.
The offences under the proposed law are cognisable and non-bailable, which means police can carry out arrests without court permissions after taking up a case.
The legislation follows several reported inter-caste relationship-related killings in Karnataka in 2025, including cases in Raichur and another involving 18-year-old Kavita.
The law to protect the freedom of choice in marriages is among several social bills that the Congress government has brought out in line with its policies for the backward and downtrodden communities in the state.
