Mumbai, February 11 A day after NCP (SP) MLA Rohit Pawar raised several questions regarding the Baramati air crash in which Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar died, flight attendant Pinky Mali's father, Shivkumar Mali, also demanded a thorough investigation.
In the wake of Rohit Pawar's presentation on Tuesday, there was suspicion that it was not an accident but sabotage, he told PTI.
Pinky Mali was among the five people on board the aircraft who died in the January 28 crash.
"Whether it was an accident or sabotage, both aspects should be investigated by the government," said Shivkumar Mali.
"The truth should come out, and we should get answers to the questions and doubts that are in my mind," he added, emphasizing that his daughter should receive justice.
He found substance in the suspicions expressed by Rohit Pawar and NCP legislator Amol Mitkari about the incident, Mali further stated.
His daughter was traveling with Ajit Pawar for the fifth time when the crash occurred, he said.
According to media reports, the aircraft as well as the pilot were changed at the eleventh hour, and the investigating agencies must look into this, said Mali.
He also expressed doubts about the reason given by the private company that the pilot was changed because the original pilot was stuck in traffic. Usually, there is no heavy traffic on Mumbai roads around 6:30 am, said Mali.
"We believe that the tragedy would not have occurred had an experienced pilot been flying the aircraft," he said.
His daughter, who lived in Thane with her husband, had visited her parents' house in central Mumbai's Prabhadevi on January 15 to cast her vote for the local body elections, he said.
Rohit Pawar on Tuesday raised several questions regarding the sequence of events leading up to the plane crash. He alleged that there was a reason to suspect sabotage in the tragic incident that killed his uncle, Ajit Pawar, and demanded a comprehensive probe by multiple expert agencies.