Pune: Some NCP members, along with the opposition, on Monday expressed their doubts over the Jan 28 plane crash near the Baramati airstrip in which former deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar and four others were killed, while the ministry of civil aviation cited poor visibility as the prima facie reason behind the accident.NCP MLC Amol Mitkari took to his X handle to raise questions over the crash in which his party chief lost life. Interacting with reporters later, Mitkari referred to some documents recovered from the crash site and said, “There was a fire after the plane crash, but why the papers found at the site did not burn? There are other doubts over the crash. Initial reports mentioned the presence of six people in the aircraft, but only five bodies were recovered.
The Learjet-45 aircraft had a history of accident. Who selected it for Ajit Pawar’s travel?”Referring to Mitkari’s social media post, Congress MLA Vijay Wadettiwar said there was something suspicious about the plane crash and the govt should give out details of the incident.Cabinet minister and senior NCP member Chhagan Bhujbal questioned if a technical snag led to the crash. “The CCTV footage shows the plane crashing suddenly. An inquiry is being held and I am not an expert on the subject. But after talking to several people, I understand that there was something wrong — either in the plane’s engine or the radar,” Bhujbal said during a condolence meeting in Yeola on Monday.The opposition demanded an independent investigation into the crash, suspecting foul play. Shiv Sena (UBT)’s Rajya Sabha member Sanjay Raut raised the issue of the plane crash in Parliament on Monday.
He said, “During municipal corporation elections, Ajit Pawar said he had a file of evidence of BJP members’ involvement in corruption. A few days after his statement, his plane crashed. I am not making any claim, but I am demanding a detailed investigation through an independent authority.
“Minister of state for civil aviation Murlidhar Mohol criticised Raut and other opposition members, claiming that they were trying to politicise the tragedy.
Interacting with reporters in New Delhi on Monday, he said, “It is quite unfortunate that people like Raut are stooping so low and playing dirty politics over a tragedy like the plane crash.”Mohol said, “Prima facie, a visibility issue appears to be the cause of the crash. The DGCA (Directorate General of Civil Aviation) and AAIB (Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau) are conducting a detailed investigation of the incident. They have recovered the black box of the aircraft and soon a detailed report on the crash would be submitted to the ministry.”
