NCP (Sharad Pawar faction) leader Rohit Pawar on Saturday called for the personal intervention of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah in the Ajit Pawar plane crash probe. He alleged that there is a possibility of a larger conspiracy behind the incident.
Addressing a press conference, Rohit Pawar said the investigation must determine whether the January 28 crash was the result of a political conspiracy or a commercial one. He also questioned whether the private charter operator, VSR Ventures (VSR Aviation), was being protected by powerful people in the ruling party. “Another thing is that if someone is supporting or protecting the VSR company, which is responsible for it, that could also be a conspiracy. So many powerful people are behind this company. DGCA officials are behind it…,” he alleged.
Pawar demands removal of Civil Aviation Minister
Stating that the case involved powerful stakeholders, Pawar said only the country’s top leadership could ensure a fair outcome. He also wrote to PM Modi seeking the removal of Civil Aviation Minister K Rammohan Naidu and demanding an independent probe into the crash.
“If justice has to be delivered, only the most powerful leaders in the country — Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Amit Shah — can ensure it. I request that they personally monitor the investigation,” he said.
“Serious questions have been raised about the company VSR and its links with Rammohan Naidu’s party (TDP). These links must be investigated by an independent and competent authority, preferably in collaboration with international agencies,” Sharad Pawar’s grandnephew wrote in the letter.
Extra fuel in baggage compartment
Raising fresh technical concerns, Pawar said there were doubts about the aircraft’s black box and the sequence of events leading to the crash. He claimed that multiple explosions were reported at the crash site, not just a single impact-related blast.
Pawar further alleged that additional petrol cans had been stored in a baggage compartment, which may have intensified the fire after the crash. “There are serious mechanical and maintenance-related issues linked to the operator. If extra fuel was stored improperly and contributed to the fire, that must be thoroughly investigated,” he said.
Ajit Pawar and four others were killed when the aircraft crashed while attempting to land at Baramati airport in Pune district on the morning of January 28.
The incident has sparked a political row, with the NCP (SP), along with Shiv Sena (UBT) and the Congress, raising questions over the circumstances of the crash and suggesting the possibility of foul play.