Air India plane crash: 600 Rajkot schools to remain closed tomorrow in tribute to Vijay Rupani

Janvi Sonaiya

Rajkot, June 13 (IANS) In a tribute to the over 240 lives lost in the devastating crash of Air India Flight AI-171, including former Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani, schools across Rajkot will remain closed on Saturday (June 14).  

The Rajkot Self-Financed School Management Association has announced a day-long suspension of academic activity in nearly 600 self-financed schools in the city.

The association has also urged government and grant-in-aid schools to join in the observance, giving students and staff a chance to honour the victims with silence, prayers, and memorial gatherings.

Vijay Rupani shared a deep-rooted connection with Rajkot, not just as a politician, but as a son of the city. After his family migrated from Burma and settled in Rajkot, it became the place where he was raised, educated, and began his political journey.

He served as Mayor of Rajkot in the late 1990s and was elected multiple times from the Rajkot West constituency, eventually becoming the Chief Minister of Gujarat in 2016.

Throughout his tenure, he remained committed to the growth of Rajkot and the Saurashtra region, pushing for key projects in infrastructure, education, healthcare, and smart city development.

Meanwhile, investigation teams from the Gujarat Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) and the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) continue to comb through the wreckage in Ahmedabad, while NDRF personnel remain on site for ongoing recovery operations.

Meanwhile, the final rites of former Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani, who lost his life in the crash of Air India flight AI-171, will take place in his hometown, Rajkot.

His mortal remains, currently in Ahmedabad, will be moved to Rajkot once DNA identification is complete. The family has decided that all funeral rituals will be conducted in Rajkot.

Rupani’s son is flying in from the United States to attend the last rites, while his wife Anjali, who reached Ahmedabad earlier, will accompany the family to Rajkot. A somber atmosphere prevails at his residence in Paras Society, where supporters and well-wishers have been gathering to pay their respects.

Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel has expressed his condolences and is expected to be present for the cremation.