Cyrus Mistry, Tata Sons Ex Chairman, dies in accident near Mumbai

www.mangaloretoday.com

Mumbai, Sep 4, 2022: Cyrus Mistry, who succeeded Ratan Tata as chairman of Tata Sons but was later ousted in India’s most high-profile boardroom coup, was killed in a car accident in Maharashtra’s Palghar on Sunday, said police. He was 54.

Mr Mistry was travelling from Ahmedabad to Mumbai in a Mercedes car, it added.

Pictures from the accident site showed the mangled remains of the silver Mercedes. The accident happened when the car hit the road divider at Charoti area of Palghar, 135 km from Mumbai.

"The accident took place around 3.15 pm, when Mistry was travelling to Mumbai from Ahmedabad. The accident took place on a bridge over the Surya river. It seems an accident," said Palghar district superintendent of police, Balasaheb Patil.

Along with Mr Mistry, Jehangir Pandole, Anahita Pandole and Darius Pandole were present in the car.

Jehangir Pandole, brother of Darius Pandole, is the other person who died in the accident.

Darius Pandole was an independent director in Tata group firms and had opposed the removal of Mr Mistry as the company’s chairman. He also left the Tata group with Mr Mistry.

Darius is Anahita’s husband. Anahita Pandole, a well-known gynaecologist in Mumbai, was driving the car.

Anahita Pandole and Darius Pandole were shifted to a private hospital in Vapi in Gujarat after the accident.

"They are likely to be shifted to a Mumbai hospital on Monday morning," the police official said on Sunday night.

The car was speeding and tried to overtake another vehicle from the wrong side (from the left), a police officer told news agency PTI.

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said he has asked the state police to conduct a detailed investigation into the accident.

"Spoke to DGP and instructed for detailed investigations," tweeted Mr Fadnavis, who is also the state home minister.