Pune, February 26 NCP (SP) MLA Rohit Pawar and his cousin Yugendra Pawar approached the Baramati police on Thursday, seeking the registration of an FIR against VSR Ventures over the January 28 plane crash that killed their uncle and then Maharashtra deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar.
This move came a day after Rohit Pawar filed a similar complaint at the Marine Drive police station in Mumbai against the aviation company and its directors.
VSR Ventures operated the ill-fated Learjet-45 plane that crashed in Baramati in Pune district with Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Ajit Pawar and four others on board.
Backed by a large number of supporters holding placards demanding "justice" for the late NCP leader, Rohit Pawar and Yugendra Pawar submitted a written complaint at the Baramati Taluka police station on Thursday morning.
Rohit Pawar said they had discussions with the police seeking an FIR against VSR Ventures and some unknown officials from the DGCA (Director General of Civil Aviation) and a firm named ‘Arrow’. However, no FIR was registered, he claimed.
“We had a long discussion. We cited several legal provisions to support our demand for an FIR. However, they informed us that the DGCA and AAIB (Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau) are already conducting the investigation,” said Rohit Pawar.
The NCP (SP) legislator also said that the police told them that the Crime Investigation Department (CID) is investigating the accidental death report filed by the Baramati taluka police.
“I told them that the AAIB is investigating the technical aspects of the crash, not the criminal aspects. Our demand is that the criminal negligence in the crash be investigated. We cited the recent DGCA report in which they had ordered the grounding of five aircraft of VSR Ventures due to non-compliance,” said Pawar.
If there were issues with the aviation company’s aircraft, why was one of them given to Ajit Pawar, which crashed on January 28, he asked.
Pawar reiterated his demand for the resignation of Union Civil Aviation Minister K Rammohan Naidu and claimed that VSR Ventures has links with leaders of the TDP, the party to which Naidu belongs.
Meanwhile, the CID will hold a press conference later in the day.
Rohit Pawar said he would also visit the CID office to understand more about their investigation.
He also targeted senior NCP leader Praful Patel, calling him an experienced person as far as aviation is concerned. Patel should have helped them in the fight "seeking justice for Ajit Dada," Pawar said.
“An FIR should be registered against VSR Ventures. We are here to support Rohit Dada in this fight. Our demand is that Ajit Dada must get justice and the investigation into the crash be expedited,” Yugendra Pawar told reporters.
The DGCA on Tuesday ordered the grounding of four aircraft of VSR Ventures over non-compliance with approved procedures in the areas of airworthiness, air safety and flight operations.
Yugendra Pawar claimed the DGCA had, in its report, pointed to criminal negligence on the part of VSR Ventures. “If criminal negligence is established, then an FIR should be registered against the firm,” he said.
After the plane crash, an accidental death report was initially registered at the Baramati Taluka police station, and the case was later transferred to the CID for further investigation.
Yugendra Pawar, the grandnephew of Sharad Pawar and son of Ajit Pawar's younger brother, unsuccessfully contested the 2024 Maharashtra assembly election against his uncle from the Baramati constituency on an NCP (SP) ticket.
Rohit Pawar, who has been questioning the circumstances surrounding the plane crash, filed a complaint in Mumbai against VSR Ventures on Wednesday. He later alleged that the Mumbai police refused to register an FIR.
“The conduct of the police has further intensified our suspicion regarding the plane crash. If even after demands by elected representatives from both the opposition and ruling parties, the police are discarding the demand to register an FIR, it is unfortunate for Maharashtra,” the MLA had said in a post on X.
The government machinery appeared to be protecting someone, he alleged, adding that “all those who love Ajit Pawar” would go to the Baramati Taluka police station on Thursday morning to press for the registration of an FIR.
The AAIB is yet to issue its preliminary report into the fatal crash.