Indian businessman Cyrus Mistry dies in car crash

Indian businessman Cyrus Mistry was killed in a car crash near Mumbai on Sunday, according to police.  

The 54-year-old — who was the chairman of holding company Tata Sons from 2012 — was ousted in a boardroom coup in 2016. This led to a lengthy legal battle, with India’s Supreme Court eventually ruling in favor of the Tata Group.  

Mistry is survived by his wife Rohiqa and their two sons. 

What we know about the crash

The incident took place in Palghar, about 135 kilometers north of India’s financial capital Mumbai. Mistry had been traveling to Mumbai from Udwada, Gujarat, in a Mercedes car, according B. Patil, an official from Palghar district.

Three other people are understood to have been in the vehicle at the time of the crash, among them well-known gynaecologist Anahita Pandole and her husband Darius Pandole, who was an independent director at the Tata Group.  

The couple were injured and are being treated at a hospital at nearby Vapi and are likely to be shifted to a Mumbai hospital on Monday. Pandole's brother Jehangir, was also a passenger and lost his life.  

A police official said the driver appeared to have lost control of the vehicle and slammed into the road divider. Mistry and Jehangir, who were seated in the back seats, died at the accident site. 

Several prominent personalities shared messages of condolence after the incident. "The untimely demise of Shri Cyrus Mistry is shocking. He was a promising business leader who believed in India’s economic prowess," tweeted Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Tata Group offers 'deepest condolences'

Tata Consultancy Services, in which Tata Sons owns a majority stake, said it was mourning the untimely death of its former chairman, and offered "deepest condolences and prayers" to his family and friends. 

"He was a warm, friendly, and congenial person who built a strong relationship with the TCS family during his time as the chairman of the company," TCS said in a statement. 

Mistry was the sixth chairman of the Tata group, a conglomerate started over 150 years ago. He was the brother-in-law of Noel Tata, who was the half-brother of the group’s former chair Ratan Tata. 

The Shapoorji Pallonji (SP) Group founded by Mistry’s father currently holds an 18.37% stake in Tata Sons, making it the largest single shareholder in the firm. The relationship between SP Group, one of the country’s biggest construction firms, and the Tata Group was strained following his ousting.

Mistry was a graduate in civil engineering from London's Imperial College and in management from the London Business School. He was also an Irish citizen, since his mother is from Dublin.

tg/kb (AP, Reuters)