Neighbours of Vidhit Jadhav, the personal security officer of Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar who was among the casualties in the aircraft crash, said he never spoke about his “high-profile” posting. Many in the locality learnt about his assignment only after seeing his photograph with Ajit Pawar on a television news channel.
Residents of the Vitawa area in Thane described Jadhav as soft-spoken and reserved, someone who largely kept to himself. According to them, it was only after a neighbour recognised him from a television image that the family confirmed his posting with Ajit Pawar’s security detail.
A native of Satara, Jadhav joined the Mumbai Police in 2009 and was later posted with the Special Protection Unit (SPU) of the State Intelligence Department (SID), from where he was deputed as Ajit Pawar’s security officer. He lived with his parents, wife and two children in the Surya Nagar area of Vitawa in Thane (east). Neighbours said he was often seen leaving home early in the morning for duty.
Rishi Borse, who lives opposite Jadhav’s residence and was close to the family, recalled seeing him leave for work on his motorcycle on the day of the incident. “Bala Mama (as Jadhav was fondly called) left on the bike while I was going to college. He said he was in a hurry and was going to work.”
While Borse knew that “work” meant security duty with Ajit Pawar, he said most people in the area were unaware of the nature of Jadhav’s posting. “Mama did not like to talk about his duty. Another person would have bragged about it, but he was sheepish if anyone came to know about it. He was never arrogant about it,” he said.
Another neighbour, Vidya Sane, said residents learnt about Jadhav’s assignment only after seeing him on television. “It was only when we once saw his photograph with Ajit Pawar on the news that we asked his family and came to know about it. While he largely kept to himself and was away on work for most occasions, his family was social and we confirmed from them that he was working with Dada.”
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Borse also recalled Jadhav’s interest in action- and security-related shows. “Whenever a new show in that genre came, he would immediately see it and give me recommendations. Mostly when he was off duty, he was watching shows on his mobile phone with earphones plugged in,” he said. He added that Jadhav often encouraged him to exercise and apply to the police academy.
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Aruna Vidhate, another neighbour, said Jadhav’s wife Sandhya worked at a nearby hospital and his father had retired as a school employee. “He had two children, a 13-year-old girl, Netra, and a nine-year-old son, Advik.”
Chanda Ringe, another resident, said Jadhav’s father had left for their native place two days earlier, while his wife and daughter had gone to her mother’s house. When the incident occurred, only Jadhav’s mother and son were at home. “When we found out, we rushed to their house. She and her grandson Advik were crying. Soon a police team reached the house and later the family left for their native place in Satara,” Ringe said.
Mohamed Thaver is a highly specialized journalist with the Expertise and Authority required to report on complex law enforcement and legal issues. With a career dedicated to the crime beat for over a decade, his work provides readers with informed and trustworthy insights into Maharashtra's security and justice systems.
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