Baramati plane crash: Neither company nor state govt has contacted us, says flight attendant’s family

MUMBAI/THANE: Pinky Mali, the 30-year-old flight attendant who died in the plane crash in Baramati along with deputy CM Ajit Pawar and three others, was cremated at Shivaji Park Crematorium in Dadar on Thursday.

Her father, Shivkumar, has demanded a thorough probe into the incident.

"The company where my daughter worked did not inform us about the plane crash. We learnt that we had lost our daughter from television news. It hurts a lot," said the Prabhadevi resident. "Even when we went to Baramati, there was nobody from the company for coordination. I went there with my friends and brought my daughter's body back home. I want the govt to conduct a thorough investigation into the incident."




Relatives and friends attended the funeral and expressed their condolences to the Malis and Pinky's husband, Somvikar Saini, who performed her last rites. When asked if there was any help from the government or Mali's company, her husband Somvikar Saini replied in the negative. "No one has contacted me — neither from the company, nor from the govt. Till now, I have not even received a call from the company...at least have the courtesy to call and ask the family how they are coping... that's all I ask."

Residents of Riveria Building in Kalwa's Parsik Nagar, where Pinky lived with her husband, were gripped by grief after her body was brought briefly, before being taken for the final rites. Pinky lived with her husband and mother-in-law on the seventh floor of the newly constructed building.

Neighbours remembered the couple as warm and friendly. During Diwali, Saini had organised a grand birthday celebration for Pinky in the society. "They shared a close bond and mingled freely with everyone," a neighbour recalled. Interior work was underway in their flat, with Pinky actively supervising the renovations.

A neighbour said that Pinky often spoke about her travels with political figures, mentioning on one occasion that she was accompanying Ajit Pawar.