Mumbai, Feb 18 (NationPress) Rohit Pawar, a legislator from the Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar), has called for the immediate dismissal of Union Civil Aviation Minister K. Rammohan Naidu and senior officials from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) pending the investigation into the untimely demise of former Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, who tragically lost his life in a plane crash in Baramati, Maharashtra, last month.

During a press conference, Pawar accused the Civil Aviation Ministry, the DGCA, and VSR Ventures, the aircraft operator involved in the Baramati crash on January 28, of being part of a suspicious nexus. He insisted that the incident should be classified as culpable homicide rather than merely an accidental death.

He urged the filing of a formal FIR against the aircraft owners and the technical staff responsible for certifying the aircraft's airworthiness. Furthermore, he has requested an inquiry by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), arguing that the state CID lacks the necessary technical expertise and political independence to handle a case involving such a high-profile individual across various jurisdictions.

This demand came shortly after leaders from Ajit Pawar’s faction urged Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to initiate a CBI inquiry into the crash due to safety apprehensions.

Rohit Pawar has also called for the immediate grounding of all aircraft operated by VSR Ventures, citing a history of safety violations and “suppressed” findings from a 2023 crash involving the same company. He criticized reports indicating that the flight recorder had been discovered damaged, alleging that this was a scripted excuse to eliminate evidence from the flight's final moments.

He claimed that a 20-day delay in the investigation may have allowed the company to sanitize maintenance records and internal communications. Pawar suggested that the decision to fly was made after 7 p.m. the previous evening, following an unexpected cancellation of a road trip, implying that Ajit Pawar may have been maneuvered into taking that flight.

He reiterated the possibility that the crash was not merely an accident but could involve a conspiracy or sabotage.

According to Rohit Pawar, the aircraft may have been intentionally crashed or hit rather than being solely the result of technical failure. He questioned the state of the flight recorders, stating, “The black box is designed to withstand summer, monsoon, winter, and even bomb blasts, but not the politics surrounding it.”

He also alleged that the aircraft was equipped with additional illegal fuel tanks to cut down refueling costs, which he claimed acted like a bomb upon impact, causing a more significant explosion than usual.

The MLA raised concerns regarding the pilot, Capt. Sumit Kapoor, alleging a history of alcohol-related suspensions, and questioned why the original crew had been replaced at the last moment, as well as whether the pilot was medically fit to fly that day.

Accusing the company of holding a monopoly and having close ties with influential political figures, Rohit Pawar stated that this has hindered the investigation. He also pointed out that the firm’s authorization had once been revoked by the European Union Aviation Safety Agency, yet it continued to operate in India.

Pawar demanded that the inquiry include international organizations such as the National Transportation Safety Board and the Air Accidents Investigation Branch, alongside Indian agencies. He also called for a monitoring panel composed of members of the Pawar family, legal experts, and opposition leaders to ensure transparency.