Sharad Pawar-led NCP Lok Sabha MP Bajrang Sonawane, who represents the Beed district, questioned if there was an explosion aboard the ill-fated aircraft that carried late Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar to Baramati from Mumbai.
“CCTV footage from 8.46 am shows that the flight did not crash after touching the ground. As far as I know, the plane exploded before it touched the ground. People in the engine area were also thrown away due to the impact of the blast. After that, there seems to have been a second explosion after it touched the ground. Was there a bomb inside the plane? Or did the engine explode before touching the ground? The entire truth must come out,” Sonawane told media persons.
“As a worker of Ajit Dada, I have only one demand – the incident should be investigated thoroughly. There is definitely room for suspicion about that incident. When did Dada leave his official Devgiri bungalow in Mumbai? When did he reach the Mumbai airport? CCTV footage of it must be available. In which car did Dada go, who was the driver, when did he board the flight? Right from entering the Mumbai airport to boarding the flight to Baramati airport, all CCTV footage should come to light,” Sonawane demanded.
“There were six people on the aircraft. Why then only five bodies were found? Given the way the accident happened, was there a bomb in the plane? Questions raised by Anjali Damania should also be investigated. Who was the pilot of the aircraft? This should also be investigated. CCTV footage from the morning of the incident should be released. Did the plane crash on the ground? Why was there a blast on the plane in the air,” Sonawane asked.
Bajrang Sonawane is only the latest political leader from Maharashtra who has questioned the official version of the late Ajit Pawar’s air crash. On Wednesday, Kalyan Atole, the Sarpanch of Gojubavi village at Baramati, where the late Ajit Pawar died in an air crash, met NCP founder Sharad Pawar at Baramati and told him about an unknown man who came out of the crashed aircraft.
“The door of the crashed aircraft was open at the time of the accident. At first, we saw a person wearing blue pants coming out, but later we did not see him. Also, we did not know that this aircraft carried Ajit Dada. We thought it belonged to some businessman,” Atole told Sharad Pawar.
Ajit Pawar-led NCP MLA Amol Mitkari was the first to talk about what Gojubavi village sarpanch Kalyan Atole told Sharad Pawar on Wednesday.
Mitkari has also raised doubts about the quality of the aircraft on which the late Ajit Pawar had flown and the history of the pilots. “On what criteria was the Learjet 45 aircraft, which has a history of accidents and safety defects, chosen to transport a very important person like the late Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar? Also, pilot Sumit Kapoor, had a record of government action and suspension for alcohol-related reasons. He was asked to fly the aircraft at the last moment. Whose decision was this and based on what medical fitness, CRM and safety clearance was such a decision made,” he asked, sharing a photograph of a burnt chair in the crashed aircraft found at the scene after the accident.
He said after he visited the crash site at 5 pm on the day of the accident, Gojubavi village sarpanch Kalyan Atole told him about what he witnessed. “He had seen someone trying to jump out of the aircraft. The sarpanch told me that while they tried to save the person coming out of the aircraft, there was a sudden explosion,” Mitkari said.
Speaking at a Zilla Parishad election campaign meeting in the Solapur district on Wednesday, Sushma Andhare expressed doubts about the plane crash which killed the late Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar last Saturday. “Why was an aircraft which had been declared unfit by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) a year ago allotted for Ajit Pawar’s travel,” she questioned.
“The aviation regulatory authority should provide information about Ajit Dada’s air crash. However, the BJP is giving different answers. Many questions remain unanswered and no concrete answer is being given by anybody. People are wondering if Ajit Pawar was assassinated. Why is the BJP angry about people asking questions,” Andhare said.
On Tuesday, former Maharashtra Home Minister and Sharad Pawar-led NCP leader Anil Deshmukh rejected the ongoing CID investigation into the air crash which killed late Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar and demanded a fresh probe on Tuesday.
“I support Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut’s demand for an inquiry into Ajit Dada’s air crash. Many senior leaders have raised doubts about this accident. Even Ajit Pawar-led NCP leader Chhagan Bhujbal spoke yesterday. The reason given was that visibility was low, but it is not clear from the videos which have been accessed from that place. Nobody believes the reason given by the Union Ministry about visibility problems. So, this case should be investigated properly. The truth can come out only if this investigation is conducted under the control of a High Court judge,” he said.