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By:

Quaid Najmi

4 January 2025 at 3:26:24 pm

Bhujbal’s chopper lands in Pune parking lot

Mumbai : In what is suspected to be a breach of aviation protocols, a chartered helicopter ferrying Food & Civil Supplies Minister Chhagan Bhujbal from Mumbai to Pune skipped a designated helipad and landed in a vehicle parking lot almost a km away.   The shocker happened in Purandar taluka, where Bhujbal was slated to attend a function marking the 200 th  birth anniversary of the social reformer Mahatma Jyotirao Phule in his home village Khanwadi.   As crowds of bewildered people watched...

Bhujbal’s chopper lands in Pune parking lot

Mumbai : In what is suspected to be a breach of aviation protocols, a chartered helicopter ferrying Food & Civil Supplies Minister Chhagan Bhujbal from Mumbai to Pune skipped a designated helipad and landed in a vehicle parking lot almost a km away.   The shocker happened in Purandar taluka, where Bhujbal was slated to attend a function marking the 200 th  birth anniversary of the social reformer Mahatma Jyotirao Phule in his home village Khanwadi.   As crowds of bewildered people watched from around the sprawling parking lot, the helicopter appeared to drop speed in its flight, flew over some overhead high-tension electric cables, and descended gingerly into the parking lot - raising a thick dust-storm in which it disappeared for seconds - before touching the ground.   Moments later, the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) senior leader Bhujbal and others stepped out of the chopper, looked around in the unfamiliar territory before several vehicles and police teams rushed there. Minutes before there was chaos and confusion with some locals shouting warnings at the ‘wrong landing’.   Eyewitnesses said that the chopper’s powerful rotors created a thick dust storm and sparked alarm among the people in the vicinity, and many scrambled to the spot to check what exactly was going on in the parking lot.   Later, the Pune Police said that a designated helipad was available for the chopper landing but were at a loss to explain how the pilot missed it and veered off quite a distance away in the vehicle parking space. Subsequently, they asked the pilot to fly it to the correct landing spot.   Shaken and angry local NCP leaders questioned how a pilot flying a VIP on an official trip could mistake a parking lot for a helipad when the weather and visibility was clear. They demanded to know whether the helipad was improperly marked or it was a question of communication or sheer negligence.   The Pune Police indicated that they would report the matter to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) which may take action against the errant pilot and the helicopter company.   “There was no accident. We all emerged safely. The helicopter pilot landed wrongly in a parking lot because the helipad was not visible. All of us are fine and there is nothing to worry,” said Bhujbal, before he was whisked off by his security team.   “There are many faults in numerous airplanes and helicopters, including maintenance issues and other problems. That's why I keep saying consistently that VIPs must exercise caution while flying. Fortunately, an accident was averted today, but that doesn't mean the authorities should be negligent. We expect the government to take urgent precautions.” Rohit R. Pawar, MLA, NCP (SP)

CDR bombshell deepens Maharashtra turmoil

Questions over who leaked Ashok Kharat’s call data records and why

Mumbai: Activist Anjali Damania’s disclosure on Monday of alleged call detail records (CDRs) tied to controversial godman Ashok Kharat has set off a fresh political crisis in Maharashtra. The records, she said, show an “unprecedented” spike in messages and transactions from a ‘Samata’ credit society on the day before and the day Ajit Pawar died in a plane crash. Her revelations have raised urgent questions about the source of the leak, the motive behind it and whether the disclosure is part of a larger political manoeuvre or a settling of private scores.


The disclosure prompted immediate political reaction. Opposition leaders demanded clarity on how Damania obtained the records and called for a transparent probe. Some legislators questioned the legality of circulating CDRs in public. Others speculated about selective leaks and possible political engineering. A section of commentators suggested the leak could be aimed at influencing intra party dynamics within the Mahayuti alliance, while Damania insisted the list includes names of BJP ministers such as Chandrakant Patil and Ashish Shelar, arguing the disclosure is not targeted at any single camp. Notably, both Patil and Shelar are not counted as close confidants of Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.


CDR Leak

Several scenarios are plausible and none can be confirmed without forensic verification. One possibility is that a private investigator or data broker with informal access to telecom records passed the material to Damania. Such intermediaries sometimes obtain data through networks of former investigators or commercial channels that operate in legal grey areas.


A second possibility is an insider within the Samata society or Kharat’s circle who sought to expose suspicious financial flows.


A third scenario is a politically motivated leak from within the state apparatus or from rival political actors seeking to damage opponents or shift the narrative around the high profile death.


Finally, there is the chance that the records were compiled by an investigative source and shared with Damania to prompt official action.


Power Struggle

Questions about whether the leak is tied to power struggles within the BJP and the Mahayuti alliance have already surfaced. Some observers read the absence of many senior BJP names in the released list as suggestive of selective targeting. Others note Damania’s insistence that BJP ministers do appear, which would undercut claims of partisan bias. The truth may lie in a mix: political factions could be exploiting a criminal probe to settle intra coalition disputes, while private vendettas and financial rivalries add layers of motive. Until investigators verify the records, any attribution remains speculative.


Legal and ethical issues also loom large. CDRs are sensitive personal data. Their unauthorised circulation can violate privacy laws and compromise ongoing investigations. Forensic authentication is essential. If the material was obtained illegally, its admissibility in court could be challenged. At the same time, if the records are genuine, they may open new lines of inquiry into financial flows and communications that investigators have not yet pursued.


ED files money laundering case against Kharat
The Enforcement Directorate has registered a money laundering case against Ashok Kharat and will soon question him, officials said on Monday.

The federal agency’s Mumbai zonal office has filed an Enforcement Case Information report (ECIR) under various sections of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, they said.
Officials said the ED has taken cognisance of multiple FIRs filed by the Maharashtra Police against Nashik-based Kharat. He, along with some other individuals linked to him, will be questioned by the ED soon, officials said.

The self-styled godman-cum-astrologer was arrested in March after a married woman accused him of raping her repeatedly over three years.

The state police have registered a total of eight FIRs against him so far.

A subsequent probe uncovered a host of crimes, including sexual assault and financial irregularities linked to land, opening of accounts in some cooperative credit societies, and other properties.

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