June 24, 1980, Forty Years Ago: Sanjay Gandhi dead

Aviation experts who examined the crash site have said preliminary investigations indicated that the plane crashed while the pilot was performing a spin and was about to pull up. Experts said the plane had probably drifted lower than the minimum prescribed height of 500 feet to 1,000 feet. That the plane had crashed while performing a spin is evident from the fact that it did not drag for a long distance after hitting the branches. The crash site was barely a few hundred metres away from where a trainer aircraft had crashed a few years ago.

Parliament adjourned

There was an atmosphere of stunned silence in Parliament as the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha met briefly to mourn the death of Sanjay Gandhi. The Lok Sabha heard the announcement of the death in the quivering voice of Speaker Balram Jakhar. The adjournment of the Rajya Sabha was without precedent. The Chairman M Hidayatullah played a glowing tribute to the Prime Ministr’s younger son, who he said had come to represent the younger generation.