Mumbai, February 28 – NCP leader Rohit Pawar raised questions about the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) report on the plane crash in Baramati, in which former Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar and four others died, on Saturday.
In a post on X, Rohit Pawar, who has claimed that the crash was not merely an accident but sabotage, said, "What preliminary conclusions did the AAIB draw in the initial report? Based on this CID report, how will the investigation proceed? The sentence in point 5.1 on page 4 of this report, "The Baramati Airfield is located in the Baramati district of the state of Maharashtra," is sufficient to show how seriously the AAIB prepared this report. I will elaborate on this in Mumbai on Monday."
The Minister of State for Home, Yogesh Kadam, said that as it is a preliminary report, it would not be appropriate to conclude anything until a complete investigation is completed.
He stated, "I have not yet officially seen the preliminary report from Air Intelligence that has appeared in the media. However, according to available information, the preliminary report notes an attempt was made to land despite poor visibility, and control was lost during that process."
He further added, "Nevertheless, this is only a preliminary report. It would not be appropriate to reach any conclusions until a complete and in-depth investigation is finished. Aviation safety is an extremely serious matter, and I have full confidence that the relevant agencies will conduct an impartial investigation. The facts will only become clear after the investigation is completed."
Earlier, Rohit Pawar on Friday intensified his demand for a high-level criminal investigation into the plane crash that killed former Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar.
He met Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray, alleging a "conspiracy" and demanding an FIR against the aviation company involved.
The incident, which occurred on January 28, 2026, saw the Learjet 45 carrying Ajit Pawar crash during a second landing attempt in Baramati.
While the CBI and CID are currently investigating the matter, Rohit Pawar claimed that the police are deliberately obstructing the filing of a formal criminal case.
At the press conference, Rohit Pawar revealed that he had submitted a dossier of research papers and technical documents to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.
"I have presented all the evidence and my concerns to the Chief Minister. Since the BJP is in power at the Centre, I have urged him to take this up with Union Home Minister Amit Shah. We need transparency, not a superficial report," he stated.
"The reason for meeting the Chief Minister is to present the doubts held by the people of Maharashtra and me. I have received all the research papers and documents and have handed them over to the CM. Since the BJP is in power at the Centre as well, I requested the CM to present this side to the Union Home Minister or senior leaders. I have demanded transparency in this investigation," said Rohit Pawar.
