Raising concerns over the Baramati plane crash that claimed Ajit Pawar’s life, the Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) today alleged a “nexus” between the Ministry of Civil Aviation, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and VSR Ventures, the owner of the aircraft.
NCP (SP) leader Rohit Pawar demanded the immediate removal of Union Civil Aviation Minister K. Rammohan Naidu and top DGCA officials until the completion of the inquiry into the death of former Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar in the plane crash in Maharashtra’s Baramati on January 28.
#WATCH | Mumbai: On Ajit Pawar Plane Crash Case, NCP leader Rohit Pawar says, “… The owner of VSR Aviation recently held his son’s wedding in Jaipur, Rajasthan, which was attended by a main leader of the TDP. The Aviation Minister belongs to that party. If they can attend the… pic.twitter.com/vBbUPIBqlZ
— ANI (@ANI) February 18, 2026
‘Culpable homicide’ not ‘accidental death’: Rohit Pawar
Rohit Pawar said that the case must be reclassified as “culpable homicide” rather than “accidental death,” alleging that the crash could involve “conspiracy” or “sabotage”. He said the aircraft may have been deliberately “crashed” or “hit” rather than brought down solely by technical failure. He also alleged that the aircraft carried additional illegal fuel tanks to reduce refuelling costs, which he claimed acted like a “bomb” on impact and triggered a larger explosion than normal.
The leader demanded that a formal FIR must be registered against the company’s owners and the technical personnel who cleared the aircraft’s airworthiness.
Alleging that the state CID lacked the “technical teeth” and “political independence” to investigate a sector under the central government, Rohit Pawar sought an investigation by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
Rohit Pawar also demanded that all aircraft operated by VSR Ventures should be grounded nationwide with immediate effect, citing safety violations.
The NCP (SP) dismissed the reports of “damaged’ flight recorder as a “scripted excuse” to destroy evidence of the last moments of the flight. He said, “The black box is safe from summer, monsoon, winter, and bomb blasts, but not from politics.”