Shivsena UBT MP Sanjay Raut questioning the death of Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar in a plane crash near Baramati whether the incident was an accident or the result of a larger conspiracy.
While initial reports described the incident as an accident, Raut has raised doubts over the circumstances, comparing the case to the Justice B.H. Loya death and indirectly targeting the BJP. Speaking to the media, Raut pointed to the timing of the crash, recalling that on January 15, Pawar had claimed he possessed files related to alleged scams involving BJP leaders and would make them public.
“Just days after that statement, he dies on January 28. This cannot be dismissed as a coincidence,” Raut said.
Raut further claimed that Pawar was preparing to return to the Sharad Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party faction, a move that would have politically weakened the BJP. He alleged that this made Pawar a target.
Further, Raut questioned why only five bodies were recovered if six people were on board, how important documents found near Pawar survived the fire, and why the aircraft was allowed to fly without a valid maintenance certificate.
He also alleged serious lapses in security arrangements despite Pawar holding the post of Deputy Chief Minister, and noted that NCP MLA Amol Mitkari had earlier expressed similar doubts.
Calling the incident a matter of grave concern, Raut criticised the administrative machinery and said such negligence was unacceptable in the case of a constitutional authority. He said he would raise the issue in Parliament and press for accountability.
Ajit Pawar died on the spot when the aircraft he was travelling in from Mumbai to Baramati crashed into a field a short distance from the runway at around 8.46 am due to an alleged technical malfunction. The aircraft reportedly burst into flames immediately after impact. Five people, including Pawar, the pilot and other staff on board, were killed in the crash.
