Sharad Pawar-led NCP’s National Working President and Lok Sabha MP Supriya Sule criticized the Fadnavis government for failing to register an FIR and investigate the Ajit Pawar air crash.
After casting her vote in Baramati on Thursday, Sule called it unfortunate that no FIR was filed in a case involving the death of a deputy chief minister. “An FIR was registered in neighbouring Karnataka state by the Congress government due to the efforts of Rohit Pawar, but an FIR should have been registered in Maharashtra much before. This Baramati byelection is taking place, in less than three months of Ajit Pawar’s death,” she said.
Rohit Pawar had lodged the “Zero” FIR in March under Section 173(1) of the Bharatiya Nagrik Suraksha Sanhita. The complaint was later sent to the Baramati Taluka police station in Pune district, which has since forwarded it to the CID.
A Zero FIR is a first information report (FIR) registered at any police station, regardless of whether the crime was committed within its jurisdiction. Rohit Pawar had claimed that he had to lodge the ‘Zero FIR’ in Karnataka as the police in Maharashtra did not register a case on his complaint regarding the Baramati air crash.
A Pune Rural Police officer confirmed that the Baramati Taluka police station had received the Zero FIR from the Bengaluru Police and referred it to the CID.
Significantly, Supriya Sule’s statement came a couple of days after Deputy CM Sunetra Pawar said while campaigning, “Like many people, I also have doubts about the circumstances surrounding Ajit Pawar’s death. All these questions must be answered. For this, I took the lead and met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah, who gave clear instructions for a thorough and impartial probe into the crash.”
“Fadnavis had given assurance in the legislative assembly of an impartial investigation. Accordingly, the probe is being carried out by high-level Central agencies. It is clear that the truth must come out in public, and if any wrongdoing is found, the strictest action should be taken against those responsible,” Sunetra Pawar said.
“I have met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Amit Shah and discussed the matter. Prime Minister Modi and Shah have given clear instructions for a thorough investigation. The truth should come out in this. The guilty should be severely punished. The Chief Minister has also given instructions to take action in this. There will be no compromise on this. The Centre and the state are helping, there should be no worries in this, Deputy Chief Minister Sunetra Pawar said.