The death of NCP chief Ajit Pawar had left Maharashtra stunned last week — triggering a probe and allegations of foul play. His nephew and NCP-SP leader Rohit Pawar also broached the possibility of a conspiracy linked to the incident on Tuesday. The Deputy Chief Minister was returning from Mumbai to Pune for election campaigning when his flight crash-landed at Baramati airport. The aircraft had shattered upon impact and exploded into flames, leaving no survivors.
“Ajit Pawar’s plane crash could be a part of the conspiracy. We also investigated some things about Ajit Pawar’s accident. A book states that if you want to kill a person, the easiest way is to kill that person’s driver. The day before the accident, Dada was supposed to come to Pune from Mumbai by car in the evening. At that time, the convoy had also started. But why did Dada not leave by car? Ajit Dada was supposed to meet a big leader,” Rohit Pawar said.
The remarks came even as the rival NCP factions continued talks for a possible reunion. Top leaders including party founder Sharad Pawar have confirmed that the late politician was spearheading merger talks at the time of his death. The senior Pawar said last week that consensus had been reached — with an announcement scheduled for February 12 — when the tragedy derailed matters.
Rohit Pawar raises questions about flight captain, VSR
Rohit Pawar also questioned the track record of Captain Sumit Kapoor during a press conference on Tuesday — citing the latter’s 3 year suspension over alcohol consumption in the past. He further alleged that jet owner VSR Company wielded influence over DGCA officials and could “get away with anything”.
Pawar questioned why the company had never had its operation license scrapped and also raised ‘serious doubts’ about handling company Arrow which had made the booking.
“The final probe report of the 2023 crash involving a VSR company aircraft has already been submitted. Even now, VSR company planes continue to be used by high-ranking political leaders…We do not believe this was a mere accident. There is room to suspect sabotage,” he alleged.
Demand for comprehensive investigation
Pawar insisted that the Crime Investigation Department would not have full authority to probe the incident and demanded a comprehensive investigation by multiple expert agencies. He called for the National Transportation Safety Board, the Bureau of Enquiry and Analysis for Civil Aviation Safety, the UK-based Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) and other Indian agencies to look into the matter.
He also noted that the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau functions under the Directorate General of Civil Aviation — raising concerns that all doubts surrounding the crash may not be cleared.