Mumbai: Amid a raging row over the death of former Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister and NCP president Ajit Pawar, his son Jay Pawar on Wednesday demanded a thorough and impartial investigation into the plane crash.
Following the fatal crash on January 28 involving a Learjet 45XR operated by VSR Ventures, Jay Pawar on Wednesday voiced serious concerns regarding the safety protocols and the integrity of the ongoing probe.
Jay Pawar shared his concerns through a social media post, emphasising the need for transparency and immediate regulatory action.
As far as Black Box integrity is concerned, Jay Pawar stated that black boxes in aircraft accidents cannot be easily destroyed and that the public has a right to the “complete, transparent, and indisputable truth”.
He called for an immediate ban on all flight operations by VSR Ventures. He demanded an impartial and in-depth inquiry into potential “serious misconduct” regarding the maintenance of the company’s aircraft.
This comes when the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) and the DGCA are currently leading the probe into the incident, which occurred during a landing attempt at Baramati Airport in heavy fog and low visibility.
Jay Pawar’s move to express his concerns and demand a probe into the plane crash comes a day after the NCP demanded a CBI probe.
A delegation led by Deputy Chief Minister Sunetra Pawar, who was accompanied by party working president Praful Patel, state president Sunil Tatkare and youth leader Parth Pawar, met Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Tuesday and demanded a CBI probe into the death of Ajit Pawar.
Tatkare said the Chief Minister has assured the delegation that the state government would correspond with Union Home Minister Amit Shah, saying that steps will be taken to facilitate the CBI probe as requested by the NCP.
The NCP highlighted several “serious irregularities and suspicious circumstances” surrounding the incident, including last-minute changes in the flight crew composition, which require scrutiny of operational decision-making and authorisations, inconsistencies regarding Air Traffic Control (ATC) communications and the sequence of runway clearances.
The party also referred to concerns over the functionality and integrity of critical onboard safety warning systems.
Earlier, NCP-SP legislator Rohit Pawar at a press conference demanded that the Civil Aviation Minister, K Rammohan Naidu, and top DGCA (Directorate General of Civil Aviation) officials be removed or step aside, especially amid raging controversy over Ajit Pawar’s death in the plane crash at Baramati on January 28.
At the press conference, he alleged a “nexus” between the ministry, the DGCA, and VSR Ventures (the aircraft owner), claiming that the current leadership is biased and protecting the company.
Rohit Pawar also demanded that the case be treated as culpable homicide rather than “accidental death.” He called for a formal FIR (First Information Report) to be registered against the owners of VSR Ventures and the technical staff who signed off on the flight’s airworthiness.
He further demanded a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) inquiry. He argued that since the crash involved a high-profile constitutional authority (the Deputy CM) and crossed state/departmental jurisdictions, the state CID lacks the “technical teeth” and “political independence” to investigate the Union-controlled aviation sector.
(IANS)
