Ajit Pawar death: Rohit Pawar questions last-minute changes, suspects sabotage

Nationalist Congress Party NCP SP leader Rohit Pawar on Tuesday questioned lastminute changes and suspected sabotage angle in Ajit Pawars deathRohit Pawarmade a detailed presentation to address doubts surrounding the circumstances in the plane crash near Baramati last monthThe late Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar was killed in an airplane crash on January 28 2026Speaking at a press conference after the presentation Rohit Pawar raised questions about lastminute changes in Ajit Pawarrsquos travel plansRohit Pawar said that his uncle Ajit Pawar was originally scheduled to travel from Mumbai to Pune on the evening of January 27 and his convoy was also ready However a meeting with a senior leader delayed him leading to a change in plans and travel being shifted to the morning of January 28Rohit Pawar said that Ajit Pawar was always cautious about flying and avoided unnecessary risks Although he reached the airport on time the flight departed late he addedRohit Pawar raises sabotage suspicions angleRohit Pawar alleged that there were grounds to suspect sabotage in the air crash that killed his uncleHe demanded a comprehensive investigation by multiple expert agencies including international bodiesNotably NCP SP chief Sharad Pawar has earlier ruled out any conspiracy and described the incident as an accidentRohit Pawar said the Crime Investigation Department CID alone would not have sufficient authority to probe the case thoroughly He called for an independent investigation involving agencies such as the US National Transportation Safety Board NTSB Francersquos Bureau of Enquiry and Analysis BEA the UKbased Air Accidents Investigation Branch AAIB along with Indian agenciesHe also raised concerns that the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau AAIB functions under the Directorate General of Civil Aviation DGCA which could limit the scope of an independent inquiry 10022026 httpstco9XAKinUZZxmdash Rohit Pawar RRPSpeaks February 10 2026Questions over pilot and aircraft operatorRohit Pawar questioned the background of pilot Capt Sumit Kapoor who was flying the aircraft on January 28 citing his past suspension for alcohol consumption He also raised doubts about VSR Company which owned the Learjet and the handling agency ArrowHe alleged that VSR Company exercised influence over DGCA officials and questioned why its licence was not cancelled despite a previous aircraft crash in 2023Rohit Pawar raised several technical questions including whether the aircraftrsquos transponder was intentionally switched off in the final moments He questioned why the pilot attempted landing on Runway 11 despite poor visibility and why no corrective action was taken when the aircraft tiltedHe also demanded CCTV footage of earlier Learjet landings to verify whether the aircraft carried illegal additional fuel tanksChange in travel plans and delayAccording to Rohit Pawar Ajit Pawar was originally scheduled to travel to Pune on the evening of January 27 with his convoy ready However a late meeting with a senior leader delayed the plan and the flight was booked late at nightAlthough the flight was scheduled to depart at 7 am on January 28 it took off only at 810 am he saidThe Learjet crash near Baramati airport killed Ajit Pawar pilot Capt Sumit Kapoor copilot Capt Shambhavi Pathak PSO Vidip Jadhav and flight attendant Pinky MaliThe Ministry of Civil Aviation stated that Baramati is an uncontrolled airfield without a dedicated air traffic control towerThe Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau and DGCA have inspected the site recovered the black box and the Maharashtra CID has taken over the probe after an accidental death case was registered by Pune Rural Policewith PTI inputs