Jaipur, Mar 8: A MiG-21 fighter aircraft of the Indian Air Force (IAF) crashed in Rajasthan's Bikaner district on Friday with the pilot ejecting safely, a defence ministry spokesperson said.

The aircraft was on a routine mission and crashed after getting airborne from the Nal air base near Bikaner. The pilot of the aircraft ejected safely, the spokesperson said.

He said that a court of inquiry would investigate the cause of the accident.

Bikaner SP Pradeep Mohan Sharma said the MIG aircraft crashed in Shobhasar ki Dhani, 12 km from Bikaner city.

He said police teams have rushed the spot to cordon off the area. No loss of life has been reported.

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Bengaluru (PTI): Veteran Congress leader Shamanuru Shivashankarappa passed away at a private hospital here on Sunday due to age-related ailments, official sources said.

He was 95 and represented the Davanagere South Assembly constituency. He had been undergoing treatment at the hospital for some time.

Shivashankarappa is survived by three sons, including S S Mallikarjun, Karnataka Minister for Mines and Geology and Horticulture, and four daughters.

His daughter-in-law, Prabha Mallikarjun, is the Member of Parliament from Davanagere.

A former minister, Shivashankarappa, served as treasurer of the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) for several decades and was the president of the All India Veerashaiva Mahasabha, the apex body of the influential Veerashaiva-Lingayat community.

He was also a noted educationist who established several educational institutions and was an industrialist.