VSR probably flies an aircraft owned by CM Fadnavis, alleges Sanjay Raut

Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena Rajya Sabha MP and chief spokesperson Sanjay Raut alleged at a press conference here on Saturday that air charter company VSR Ventures probably flies an aircraft whose real owner could be Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.

Replying to a question about why Fadnavis and Deputy CM Sunetra Pawar chose to fly in an aircraft owned by VSR Ventures — the same company whose ill-fated aircraft crashed, killing the late Ajit Pawar — Sanjay Raut said, “Well, that’s their problem. They must have their own separate aircraft, which may have been given to VSR Ventures. VSR has a few aircraft of its own, and most of its aircraft belong to political leaders. VSR keeps these aircraft with it. Among the aircraft VSR flies, there may be one owned by Fadnavis as well.”

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Raut’s reference was to CM Fadnavis and Deputy CM Sunetra Pawar flying from Mumbai to Ozar Airport in Nashik district on a Learjet aircraft owned by VSR Ventures to attend the fourth Vishwa Marathi Sammelan organised by the Kavivarya Kusumagraj Nagari on Friday, February 27. A photograph taken at the airport showed the company’s name, abbreviated as ‘VSR’, on the aircraft they flew, and an official said that the aircraft is a Learjet, which is the same type of aircraft that crashed at Baramati airstrip on January 28, killing the late Deputy CM Ajit Pawar.

“VSR Ventures is accused number one, and the co-accused is the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). Due to the nexus of these two institutions, Ajit Pawar lost his life. That is why the case is not being investigated. There is collusion between the DGCA and VSR Ventures. DGCA is one of the most corrupt institutions in the country. Who are the unknown (benami) shareholders of VSR Ventures? They are politicians from Andhra Pradesh, politicians from Maharashtra and some very high-profile industrialists. They are all benami partners of this company. If an investigation is conducted, all their masks will come off,” Sanjay Raut alleged in his reply.

“DGCA is the most corrupt government institution in this country. DGCA is a contract killer. I keep on saying this. If 300 people died in the Ahmedabad air crash, it is due to the DGCA. Ajit Pawar’s death occurred due to the same reason. A few days ago, an air ambulance crashed in Ranchi due to the DGCA. The DGCA engages only in corruption. It gives licences to those it favours and cancels the licences of those it does not,” Sanjay Raut alleged.

When asked about the recent meeting between Sharad Pawar-led NCP MLA Rohit Pawar and Raj Thackeray — after which the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) founder said that Deputy CM Sunetra Pawar must speak up about the death of her husband Ajit Pawar — Sanjay Raut said, “Even I have been asking this question right from the beginning.”

“Parth Pawar (elder son of the late Ajit Pawar) ought to be raising this issue. Sunetra Pawar, who lost her husband, ought to be raising the issue. She is the Deputy CM, and yet if no FIR is being registered to investigate her husband’s suspicious death, then what does it show? She, as well as 40 MLAs of her party, ought to be exerting pressure on the government to register an FIR. That is what Rohit Pawar has demanded. He said that he doubts the circumstances of his uncle’s (Ajit Pawar) death and wants it investigated. Whoever lost her husband and whoever lost his father in the air crash ought to be making the same demand. So why have no such demands been made? That is the question which has cropped up,” Sanjay Raut said.

Reacting to Raut’s allegations on Saturday, BJP spokesperson Navnath Ban issued an official statement in Mumbai that the BJP will take legal action against Sanjay Raut if he fails to apologise to CM Devendra Fadnavis for making such allegations.

“Sanjay Raut has been constantly making baseless allegations. Raut, who has falsely alleged that the VSR’s aircraft belongs to Devendra Fadnavis, should publicly apologise to CM Devendra Fadnavis, or else the BJP will serve him with a legal notice. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis is not Uddhav Thackeray, who is constantly in a hurry to get his own aircraft. First tell everybody how many private aircraft Uddhav Thackeray has and then make such childish and baseless allegations,” BJP spokesperson Navnath Ban stated at a press conference held at the BJP Maharashtra state office here on Saturday.

“I challenge Raut to prove with evidence who has a stake in the VSR company. Although an investigation is underway as per the accidental death report filed in the Ajit Dada air crash case, Raut is still making such statements for the sake of publicity,” BJP spokesperson Navnath Ban said.

Meanwhile, a 22-page preliminary report by the DGCA and the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) was released on Saturday evening, which contains some preliminary information about the causes of the January 28 air crash, which killed late Deputy CM Ajit Pawar.

According to the report, the aircraft first hit a tree while trying to land at the Baramati airport and then crashed. At the time of the accident, visibility in the area was about 2,000 metres. The report also states that the aircraft crashed about 50 metres from the runway.

During the investigation, raw data from the aircraft were successfully downloaded, and various technical evidence was collected. Relevant documents have been examined and analysed. Also, key persons related to this case have been questioned.

Both pilots who flew the ill-fated aircraft had experience of landing aircraft at the Baramati Airport. Investigating agencies have clarified in the preliminary report that a thorough investigation is underway into all aspects that led to the crash.