Ex-Tata Sons Chief Cyrus Mistry Dies in a Road Accident
Former Chairman of Tata Sons Cyrus Mistry was killed in a road accident on Sunday 4th September.
Former Chairman of Tata Sons Cyrus Mistry was killed in a road accident on 4th September in Maharashtra’s Palghar district. Cyrus Mistry, son of Pallonji Mistry, the owner of Shapoorji Pallonji group and the biggest stakeholder in the Tata Group, was appointed as the sixth chairman of Tata Sons in 2012. He was the second person outside the Tata family to head the group and was able to hold the position for just four years, one of the shortest tenures for a Tata Group head. Mistry was removed from the position of Tata Sons Chairman on 24th October 2016, and was also subsequently removed as a Director on the board of Tata Sons on 6 February in 2017.However, even after he was removed from his position in the company, he shared a friendly bond with Ratan Tata. Cyrus Mistry had affected several changes in the business practices during his tenure, due to which capital expenditure increased but returns to shareholders decreased. Also, he wanted to sell off a few ports of the company in the UK which affected his image along with the downfall of Tata Docomo around the same time added on to his removal as the chairman. Mistry was removed because the Tata Sons Board and its majority shareholders had "lost confidence in him", after he admittedly sent out crucial information related to the Tata firms to the Income Tax department, leaked information to the press, and after he came out in public against the company and its board members.
On the afternoon of 4th September, Mr Mistry was travelling from Gujarat's Udvada to Mumbai in a Mercedes car. The accident happened when the car hit the road divider at Charoti area of Palghar, approximately 135 kms away from Mumbai. The accident took place around 3.15 pm, on a bridge over the Surya river. The car was speeding and tried to overtake another vehicle from the wrong side (from the left).Pictures from the accident site showed the damaged silver Mercedes. Moreover, according to our sources, Cyrus Mistry was not wearing the seatbelt while the accident took place. Along with Mr Mistry, Dr. Anahita Pandole, her husband Darius Pandole and brother-in-law Jehangir Pandole, were present in the car.
Jehangir Pandole, is the other person who has died in the accident. Cyrus Mistry and Jehangir were sitting at the back. Darius Pandole was an independent director in the Tata Group firms and earlier had opposed the removal of Mr Mistry as the company's chairman. He also left the Tata Group with Mr Mistry. Dr. Anahita Pandole is a well-known gynaecologist in Mumbai, was driving the car. Soon after the accident, Dr. Anahita Pandole and Darius Pandole were shifted to a private hospital in Vapi in Gujarat after the accident, however they’ll be shifted to a hospital in Mumbai on 5th September. Cyrus Mistry was 54 years old and is survived by wife and two sons.
Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said he has asked the state police to conduct a detailed investigation into the accident. After the news of Cyrus Mistry surfaced, several political figures, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and Ministers, along with several other business tycoons, condemned his death. However, it is also important to know that during the accident, Cyrus Mistry was sitting on the back seat of the car and was not wearing the seatbelt. Meanwhile, the two passengers in the front have not lost their lives and were reportedly wearing seatbelts.
Airbags are of no use if the seat belt is not strapped, which is the first line of defence. Air bag is the second line of defence only if the first fails. If you do not lock the seat belt properly Airbag will not open. All the cars have rear seat belts as per government regulation, but very few people use them because of the illusion that the rear of the cars is very safe. If the front passenger is wearing a seat belt and the rear passenger is not, during the time of crash the front passenger is likely to be severely injured or killed due to the rear passenger falling over them. So we hardly recommend you to use your seatbelts even if you are sitting at the rear of a car.What do you think about this accident and untimely death of the business tycoon Cyrus Mistry? Do mention your thoughts in the comment section below.
