Ajit Pawar crash: Nephew files Zero FIR in Bengaluru alleging big conspiracy
Rohit Pawar alleges Baramati plane crash was a conspiracy, citing lapses in airworthiness, crew changes, and suspected DGCA corruption in Zero FIR
Former Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar’s nephew Rohit Rajendra Pawar has filed a Zero FIR at the High Grounds Police Station in Bengaluru, alleging that his death in a plane crash was not an accident but a massive conspiracy.
As police stations in Maharashtra refused to accept the complaint, an official complaint was filed in Bengaluru on March 23. A total of five people, including Ajit Pawar and the pilots, died in a plane crash near Pune’s Baramati airport on January 28.
‘Serious lapse’ by airline
The main allegation in the complaint is that the Bombardier Learjet 45 aircraft owned by VSR Ventures Private Limited was not airworthy.
Also read: Rohit Pawar alleges cover-up in Baramati plane crash probe
The engine capacity limit of the aircraft is 5,000 hours, and the official records falsely stated that only 4,915 hours had been flown. But in reality, the aircraft had flown for more than 8,000 hours, the FIR claims.
The fact that the airworthiness certificate was issued a year before the aircraft was registered has led to suspicions of corruption at the DGCA level as well.
Suspicious behaviour
The sudden change of the flight crew at the last moment has further strengthened the suspicion of a conspiracy, says the FIR. Instead of the pre-scheduled crew, Sumit Kapoor, who was earlier suspended by the DGCA for alcoholism, was appointed as the chief pilot.
Also read: Ajit Pawar’s son demands action against VSR owner over 'cockpit video'
Also, VSR had reportedly taken out a life insurance policy in his name recently. Investigation reports have revealed that in the last moments of the accident, although co-pilot Shambhavi Pathak shouted in panic, the chief pilot remained silent and did not respond.
Runway change
Despite the dense fog at the Baramati airport, the landing was allowed defying safety regulations. Although the minimum visibility was five kilometres, the pilot proceeded to land even when the visibility was less than two kilometres, says the FIR.
In addition, the last-minute change of the plane’s route from a safe runway to a very dangerous tabletop runway was the direct cause of the tragedy, the FIR states. In view of all these serious lapses, the complainants have strongly demanded a high-level criminal investigation under the BNSS (Indian Civil Protection Code).
(This article was originally published in The Federal Karnataka.)