Ajit Pawar death: Rohit Pawar alleges foul play, demands high level probe

Mumbai: NCP-SP legislator Rohit Pawar, on Tuesday, held a press conference making sensational claims regarding the recent plane crash involving the late NCP leader Ajit Pawar.

Rohit Pawar directly alleged that the plane crash was not a mere accident but a “planned conspiracy” (foul play).

He raised several questions regarding the aviation company, the pilots, and the specific circumstances of the journey on January 28.

Rohit Pawar presented a detailed 50-slide power point presentation covering various aspects of the incident, including aircraft details, pilot credentials, weather conditions at Baramati airport, and technical protocols.

He demanded a thorough investigation, saying, “We must find out if there was foul play. Ajit Dada was a prominent leader. There are questions about why he was forced to travel by plane that day.”

“Ajit Dada was originally supposed to travel from Pune to Mumbai by car around 5 or 5:30 p.m. after a Cabinet meeting. A “very big leader” was supposed to meet him. This leader arrived late, and the discussion was prolonged, causing a significant delay. Due to this delay, the car journey was cancelled, and a plane had to be booked at the last minute,” Rohit Pawar said.

He highlighted how cautious Ajit Pawar had recently claimed that the former Deputy Chief Minister had stopped drinking water from plastic bottles and switched to glass bottles to avoid potential tampering or poisoning.

“Ajit Dada was a fighter; no one could blackmail him. He took these precautions because plastic bottles can be easily tampered with,” he said.

Using photographs as evidence, Rohit Pawar “questioned the experience of the pilots”.

“The protocols followed during plane landing. Technical aspects that suggest the crash was “100 per cent intentional.”

When asked if he had discussed these claims with Sharad Pawar — who had previously said there was no politics or foul play involved — Rohit Pawar clarified, “Pawar Saheb made that statement just six hours after the accident. I am speaking after 13 days of research. What information can one get in six hours? Also, millions of followers were expected to gather the next day; giving incomplete information then could have led to unrest. Pawar Saheb has the maturity to handle such sensitive situations, but as a family member, I need answers about how my uncle died.”

By questioning the aircraft owner and the sequence of events leading to the flight, Rohit Pawar has intensified the demand for a high-level probe into the tragedy.

Rohit Pawar criticised the 14-day delay in the investigation, alleging that the company might be tampering with evidence.

He demanded that the Clearance Engineer, Quality Engineer, and Maintenance Engineer be held accountable and that a case of culpable homicide be registered against the owners of the aviation company.

“The fact that the Chief Minister and other Ministers continue to use the same company’s aircraft even after this tragedy is extremely alarming,” Rohit Pawar said.

IANS