Ajit Pawar plane crash: Rohit Pawar says 'room to suspect sabotage', flags pilot, operator lapses

NCP (SP) MLA Rohit Pawar

• Rohit Pawar suspects sabotage in Ajit Pawar's fatal plane crash
• He demands a probe by multiple national and international expert agencies
• Questions raised about pilot's history and VSR company's influence over DGCA

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NCP (SP) MLA Rohit Pawar on Tuesday alleged that there was “room to suspect sabotage” in the tragic plane crash that killed his uncle and Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar last month, and demanded a comprehensive probe involving multiple national and international expert agencies, news agency PTI reported.

His remarks come even as NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar has ruled out any conspiracy in the incident, calling it an accident.

Addressing a press conference, Rohit Pawar questioned the background of the pilot, Captain Sumit Kapoor, who was flying the Learjet that crashed on January 28. He cited Kapoor’s past suspension for three years over alcohol consumption and raised doubts about whether all safety protocols were followed.

“We do not believe this was a mere accident. There is room to suspect sabotage,” Rohit Pawar alleged.

The NCP (SP) legislator said the Maharashtra Crime Investigation Department (CID) alone would not have adequate authority to probe the incident and demanded a wider investigation by multiple expert bodies, including the National Transportation Safety Board, the Bureau of Enquiry and Analysis for Civil Aviation Safety, the UK-based Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB), along with Indian agencies.

Raising concerns over a potential conflict of interest, Rohit Pawar pointed out that the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) functions under the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). He alleged that VSR Company, which owned the aircraft, wielded influence over DGCA officials and could “get away with anything”.

“The final probe report of the 2023 crash involving a VSR company aircraft has already been submitted. Even now, VSR company planes continue to be used by high-ranking political leaders,” he said, questioning why the company’s licence to operate was never scrapped. He further demanded that VSR company officials be booked for culpable homicide.

Rohit Pawar also raised questions about the sequence of events leading up to the crash, including whether the aircraft’s transponder was intentionally switched off and why the pilot demanded landing on the more challenging Runway 11 despite poor visibility.

“Why did he demand the difficult Runway 11, and why did he attempt to land despite visibility issues?” he asked.

He also questioned how the replacement pilots reached the airport when the originally scheduled pilots were delayed due to traffic. “Then how did Sumit Kapoor and Shambhavi Pathak reach the airport? Were they living nearby?” he asked, adding that Pathak had more flying experience on the Learjet than Kapoor.

According to Rohit Pawar, Ajit Pawar was scheduled to travel on the evening of January 27 after a cabinet meeting, with his convoy already prepared. However, a late-night development delayed the meeting, leading to the aircraft being booked late. “Ajitdada was scheduled to take off at 7 am, yet the plane departed only at 8.10 am,” he said.

Ajit Pawar, pilot Captain Sumit Kapoor, co-pilot Captain Shambhavi Pathak, Personal Security Officer Vidip Jadhav and flight attendant Pinky Mali were killed when the Learjet crashed near Baramati airport in Pune district.

Following the crash, the Ministry of Civil Aviation said Baramati is an “uncontrolled airfield” without a dedicated air traffic control system. Union Civil Aviation Minister K Ram Mohan Naidu has said the probe will follow a time-bound approach.

The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau and DGCA have visited the crash site, recovered the black box, and the Maharashtra CID has taken over the investigation after an accidental death case was registered by Pune Rural Police.