Cyrus Mistry and a family friend, Jahangir Pandole, died in a car crash
New Delhi:
Cyrus Mistry, former Chairman of Tata Sons, died in a car accident while on way from Gujarat’s Udwada to Mumbai. He was accompanied by three others family friends, brothers Darius and Jehangir Pandole, and Darius Pandole’s wife Anahita Pandole.
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Cyrus Mistry and the Pandoles had been to Udwada, where Parsis have their main “Fire Temple”, to pray for the father of Pandole brothers, who died recently. The accident happened when they were returning. The Udwada Fire Temple was restored over the past few years at a very high cost, borne entirely by the Mistry family. It re-opened fully about a year ago. Â
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The car was being driven by Anahita Pandole, a top gynaecologist of Mumbai’s Breach Candy Hospital. Darius Pandole was on the front passenger seat. Both were heavily injured and are recovering in the hospital.
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Mr Mistry was on the backseat with Jehangir Pandole, Darius Pandole’s brother. Neither survived.
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Darius Pandole, 60, is the Managing Director and CEO of Mumbai-based JM Financial Private Equity. He was also an independent director in Tata group firms and had opposed the removal of Cyrus Mistry as Tata Sons Chairman. He had stepped down from the post when Cyrus Mistry was removed.
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The Pandole family owned Duke’s, a maker of soft drinks like Mangola. They had sold the business to Pepsi more than 20 years ago. One of the two brothers who sold the business to Pepsi was Dinshaw Pandole – the father of Darius and Jehangir Pandole. Dinshaw Pandole died last week.
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The police said the accident was caused due to speeding near Palghar, some 100 km from Mumbai. But a detailed investigation will be made to get the fuller picture. The CCTVs along the route will be checked, the police have said.
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The remains of Cyrus Mistry and Jehangir Pandole will be taken to Mumbai’s JJ Hospital, where a post-mortem will take place.
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Anahita and Darius Pandole are likely to be airlifted to Breach Candy Hospital today.
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Anahita Pandole, 55, was involved in a campaign against illegal hoardings and her name had made headlines in connection with it. She was also one of the founders of Jiyo Parsi, an initiative to contain the population decline among the Parsi community.
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Cyrus Mistry, 54, who succeeded Ratan Tata as Chairman of Tata Sons, the holding company of the $300-billion group, was ousted from the post in a boardroom coup in 2016. It sparked a long-drawn legal tussle, which went in Tata group’s favour in the Supreme Court.
