"Recce at Baramati Airport Before Crash...": Rohit Pawar Makes Explosive Claims over Ajit Pawar's Death; Demands Criminal Investigation

NCP MLA and nephew of NCP leader Ajit Pawar, Rohit Pawar alleged that unknown individuals conducted a recce of Baramati Airport before the crash, and said the matter requires a criminal investigation.

This was the first press conference held by Rohit Pawar after the preliminary report was published by the Ministry of Defence.

Pawar said, “I am not against VSR or the DGCA. I am not targeting VSR or Aero as companies. However, it appears that someone is trying to shield them through the DGCA. When Ajit Dada’s accident occurred, the aircraft belonged to VSR, and the investigating authority is the DGCA itself. If powerful individuals are trying to protect them, that is not appropriate."

The report states that it was a Learjet aircraft. We had consistently maintained that the trip was not pre-planned, and that has now been acknowledged as well.

The aircraft’s engine had reportedly run 3,000 hours beyond its official service life. We expected that such mistakes would not occur, but they clearly did. Close and careful oversight was necessary. The investigation took an entire month. It feels as if Baramati has been treated as a separate district for this inquiry. This shows how serious the AIB investigation is,” said MLA Rohit Pawar while making serious allegations regarding the DGCA probe.

The report claims that trees were present at the site but where are the trees? There are only small bushes there. The aircraft did not even touch those bushes. The height of the supposed trees and the aircraft does not match at all. It appears that the report was prepared merely for the sake of submitting one, and responsibility was conveniently shifted onto “trees.” Pawar said this reflects a desperate attempt by the AIB.

A month has passed since Ajit Pawar left. Even though Ajit Pawar’s party submitted a letter 15 days ago, the case has still not been handed over to the CBI. VK Singh reportedly built houses for Joint Directors Shweta Singh and Manish Kumar. Another connection related to TDB has also surfaced. The Adra company has direct links with the Union Industry Minister. Sanjay Pathak, a BJP MP, reportedly has investments in the matter. Dilip Buildcon provided a guarantee but on whose instructions? Who exactly are the individuals protecting them?

Everyone knows who lives in Jubilee Hills. A property there was purchased for Rs 17 crore above the market price. Even after senior leaders from their own party demanded action 12–15 days ago, the case has still not been transferred to the CBI. Manan and SamaFit are investors, and one of Maharashtra’s major political party offices is registered in their name. Rohit Pawar made these startling allegations while questioning the delay.

Pawar also strongly criticized the functioning of the VSR company, claiming that the company once put Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde’s life at risk. “Whenever a flight travels anywhere, a flight plan must be submitted. For international travel, permission from the countries whose airspace is crossed is mandatory. Without it, an aircraft can even be shot down.

Something like this happened when Eknath Shinde was traveling to Davos. His aircraft entered Iranian airspace. Iran warned that if the aircraft did not turn back immediately, it would be shot down. Eknath Shinde was on that flight. The aircraft then moved from Iran toward Iraq, where a similar warning was issued.

Was the same kind of situation about to happen with Eknath Shinde? Did the DGCA ever release this information publicly? Perhaps Eknath Shinde himself can confirm it. But we have the information. The aircraft was eventually diverted back to Bahrain, and only after obtaining all the required permissions did it resume its journey,” Rohit Pawar claimed.

Rohit Pawar also alleged that a lawyer representing VSR, the company that owned the crashed aircraft, had called the family of Pinky Mali. Pawar also played a portion of the conversation for journalists.

In the call recording, the lawyer is allegedly heard saying, “The pilot made a mistake and crashed the aircraft. What can be done now? Visibility was low, so they couldn’t see clearly. The aircraft hit something after moving toward the left side of the runway.”

Rohit Pawar claimed that these statements were made by the lawyer of the aviation company during the conversation.​