New Delhi/Mumbai:
Rohit Pawar, a leader of the Sharad Pawar faction of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and grand nephew of veteran politician Sharad Pawar, on Tuesday alleged that the death of Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar in a plane crash on January 26 was the result of a conspiracy.
Rohit Pawar is the first member of the Pawar family to publicly raise suspicions over the incident, even as Sharad Pawar had earlier ruled out any foul play.
“100% a Conspiracy,” Says Rohit Pawar
Addressing a press conference in Mumbai, Rohit Pawar presented details about the flight and the sequence of events on the day of the crash.
“I can’t say whether this is a political conspiracy or not, but it is 100% a conspiracy. For senior party leaders, this incident and its investigation are not important; what matters to them is retaining their position in power,” he said.
He said the crash came under scrutiny mainly because CCTV footage from a nearby village panchayat showed the aircraft tilting before impact.
“If it weren’t for the CCTV footage, only superficial or vague information would be available,” he added.
Questions Over Last-Minute Travel Change
Rohit Pawar questioned Ajit Pawar’s sudden change of travel plans, noting that the 66-year-old leader was known to be cautious about flying.
“Dada was supposed to travel by car to Pune and then to Baramati. But he was delayed and decided to travel by plane,” he said.
He claimed Ajit Pawar stayed back at the ministry to sign a file brought by a leader from Vidarbha, which delayed his road travel.
“Because of this delay, he could not travel to Pune by road on January 27. Why the rush? Was it pre-decided that he would be sent by plane?” he asked.
Pilot Change and Allegations of Alcohol Use
Rohit Pawar also raised concerns over a last-minute pilot change, saying two pilots were initially assigned but Captain Sumit Kapoor was given responsibility on the morning of the flight.
He cited alleged WhatsApp chat messages among pilots suggesting Kapoor had a drinking problem.
“There are numerous WhatsApp chats against Captain Sumit Kapoor. He was warned several times in the group that he drinks too much,” he said while displaying the messages.
Safety Red Flags Highlighted
Rohit Pawar flagged several alleged irregularities during the flight:
- Despite Air Traffic Control instructing landing on Runway 29, the pilot repeatedly requested Runway 11.
- The aircraft’s Stall Warning System was allegedly switched off.
- The Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR) reportedly captured almost no conversation, with only the final words recorded as “Oh s**t”.
He suggested there were multiple unresolved questions surrounding the incident.
Crash Details and Aftermath
Ajit Pawar died on January 26 when a Learjet XR aircraft flying from Mumbai to Baramati crashed during landing near Baramati airport. Four others on board— a pilot, a crew member, and Pawar’s security personnel — also died in the crash.
The aircraft took off from Mumbai at 8:10 am and crashed roughly 30 minutes later during a second landing attempt.
Following the tragedy, the Civil Aviation Ministry announced inspections of all uncontrolled airstrips across the country.