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By:

Quaid Najmi

4 January 2025 at 3:26:24 pm

Baramati Police refuse FIR as well, Rohit Pawar vows to fight

Mumbai | Pune : Baramati Taluka Police on Thursday refused NCP (SP) MLA Rohit Pawar’s demand to file an FIR over the plane crash that killed former Deputy CM Ajit Pawar in January. Rohit Pawar was accompanied by his cousin Yugendra Pawar and their supporters as they approached Baramati Police. Even after one-and-a-half hours of heated discussion, police officials did not agree to file an FIR but only accepted a written complaint. Rohit Pawar had a similar experience at Marine Drive Police...

Baramati Police refuse FIR as well, Rohit Pawar vows to fight

Mumbai | Pune : Baramati Taluka Police on Thursday refused NCP (SP) MLA Rohit Pawar’s demand to file an FIR over the plane crash that killed former Deputy CM Ajit Pawar in January. Rohit Pawar was accompanied by his cousin Yugendra Pawar and their supporters as they approached Baramati Police. Even after one-and-a-half hours of heated discussion, police officials did not agree to file an FIR but only accepted a written complaint. Rohit Pawar had a similar experience at Marine Drive Police Station on Wednesday. What happened Outside the station house in Baramati, an agitated Rohit Pawar said the police maintained that the CID, AAIB and DGCA were already investigating the crash. “The police have transferred their accidental death report case to the CID, which is probing it now. Our demand is to register a case against the officials of DGCA, the Learjet owners VSR Ventures Pvt. Ltd., and also the handler, Arrow Aviation Services, for giving false information on the prevailing weather conditions at Baramati that day. However, the police have not lodged the FIR,” alleged Rohit Pawar. He argued that the AAIB will confine itself to the technical aspects of the crash and would not examine the alleged criminal angles leading to the tragedy. “We raised the DGCA’s (Tuesday) report grounding five Learjets of VSRVPL for non-compliance with approved procedures pertaining to airworthiness, air safety and flight operations. If there were issues with the aircraft, then why was it chartered to Ajit Pawar?” Rohit Pawar asked. The Jamkhed–Karjat MLA reiterated his demand for the resignation of Civil Aviation Minister K. Rammohan Naidu until the probe into the Baramati disaster is completed. Supporters join the Pawars Over a hundred lawyers and senior members of the local Bar Association, plus a large number of Pawar supporters, trooped to the Baramati Taluka police station, raising slogans and demanding justice for Ajit Pawar as Rohit and Yugendra arrived. Rohit Pawar claimed that despite answering all police queries and asserting their legal rights, officers remained unmoved. “Some of the police officials had become emotional; we noticed that they were ready to cooperate but were under some pressure from outside,” he alleged. Yugendra Pawar joins clamour Backing Rohit Pawar, Yugendra Pawar demanded that the police must register an FIR against VSRVPL, and expressed confidence that the Baramati Police would ‘give us justice 100 percent’. “A large number of admirers of Ajit Pawar have spontaneously arrived here and it is the demand of the masses to file the FIR, take proper action against those concerned and ensure justice for our great leader whom we lost in the air crash,” Yugendra Pawar said. Among the crowd, many raised concerns about how ‘certain forces’ were allegedly blocking the FIR They had suspicions of a possible conspiracy. CID investigation The Pune-headquartered Crime Investigation Department (CID) on Thursday said that it was probing multiple angles, including criminal conspiracy, criminal negligence and illegal omissions behind the Jan. 28 Baramati air-crash. “The Baramati Taluka Police have registered an ADR (No. 11/2026), under Section 194 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023. We are investigating different angles, including a criminal conspiracy, criminal negligence or rash act and criminal illegal omissions to determine whether it was an accident or a plot,” Additional Director General of Police, CID, Sunil Ramanand told mediapersons.   “The probe is underway at the right pace and proceeding in the right direction… The investigations are being done most professionally. We have a big team and are taking help from various other agencies,” he said.   He added that when AAIB releases its report, it will be ‘factored in’ for the CID probe.   “Our focus is solely on the criminal aspects. Certain aspects have come to our notice… and more may emerge as the probe progresses,” said Ramanand.

Mumbai cops refuse Rohit Pawar's demand for FIR

Mumbai: In a high-octane showdown on Wednesday, Mumbai Police refused NCP (SP) MLA Rohit Pawar’s demand to lodge an FIR against the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and VSR Ventures Pvt Ltd (VSRVPL) over the January 28 Baramati plane crash that killed former deputy CM Ajit Pawar.


Rohit Pawar went to Marine Drive police station with party MLC Amol Mitkari and others to file the complaint. What followed was a full-fledged confrontation, as the police officers refused to file an FIR.


‘Pressure from above’

A bitter Rohit Pawar, political heavyweight from the state’s powerful political clan, later told reporters that the police flatly refused to file the complaint following a verbal duel between him and Deputy Commissioner of Police Pravin Munde. Pawar accused the police of succumbing to ‘pressure from above’ as they denied him the right to lodge an FIR.


“Yesterday, the DGCA issued a notice saying action has been taken against VSRVPL. But the move has been aimed at only five of the 25-aircraft fleet. This is a cognisable offence under the new BNS Act. Everyone has the right to file an FIR,” said a livid Rohit Pawar.


Recounting the drama preceding the refusal, Rohit Pawar said that a junior police officer initially claimed an FIR could not be filed, but when the MLA’s legal team, led by Advocate Pranjal A, explained the relevant provisions, a laptop was brought in and the police started recording the statement. Midway through the process, a senior officer intervened and halted it, angering Rohit Pawar.


“The DCP said, ‘Do whatever you want, go wherever you want, speak to whoever you want… we will not file an FIR.’ Whose call did he receive?” demanded Rohit Pawar, hinting at external interference.


“It is our constitutional right to register an FIR. Who has snatched it away? If (the late) deputy CM of the state does not get justice, what should the common man expect?” said Pawar.


Alleging ‘selective justice’, the NCP leader said that when a Congress worker removes his shirt at a New Delhi event, an FIR is filed, then why can’t the same be done in a case concerning Ajit Pawar’s death.


Rohit Pawar declared that on the morning of February 26, he would approach the Baramati Police to lodge a complaint and an FIR, but if they don’t cooperate, then he would approach the local court.


Ground VSRVPL fleet entirely: Rohit Pawar

Rohit Pawar, leader of the Nationalist Congress Party (Sharad Pawar), sharpened his offensive on Wednesday and demanded that the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) ground the full fleet of VSR Ventures Pvt Ltd. The company owned the plane that crashed and killed former deputy CM Ajit Pawar on January 28.


Calling the DGCA’s decision on Tuesday ‘grossly inadequate’ and ‘deeply suspicious’, Pawar wondered why the aviation watchdog chose to ground just four aircraft for non-compliance and maintenance gaps while the others remained in service.


“The action is surprising. If there are such irregularities in the procedures, then why ground only four aircraft… What about the remaining 20-plus planes?” Rohit Pawar asked.


Besides the Bombardier Learjet 40-45 series, the VSRVPL fleet comprises Beechcraft, Pilatus and Embraer Legacy aircraft, and Rohit Pawar termed the DGCA decision an ‘eyewash’, demanding that all these flying machines must be grounded forthwith as ‘safety cannot be selective’.


“Nobody can prevent us from probing whether the Baramati crash was an accident or sabotage,” said Rohit Pawar.

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