Rohit Pawar questions probe into VSR owner, raises concerns over aircraft crash investigation

NCP (Sharad Pawar faction) MLA Rohit Pawar on Tuesday raised serious questions over the questioning of VSR company owner Rohit Singh in connection with the aircraft crash linked to Ajit Pawar, alleging that investigating agencies may be trying to shield those responsible and suppress the truth.

Pawar objected to reports that Singh was being questioned only in the capacity of a pilot despite VSR being named as one of the entities linked to the crash. He claimed the agencies were “trying to save VSR company and Rohit Singh while attempting to hide the truth behind the accident.”

Following the demise of Ajit Pawar, both Houses of the Maharashtra legislature paid tributes on 23 February during the opening day of the budget session.

Separately, a condolence meeting organised by the Ajit Pawar faction of the NCP at Worli’s Dome Theatre was attended by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Governor Acharya Devvrat, leaders from various parties and industrialists Mukesh Ambani and Gautam Adani. Pawar noted that questioning of Singh was underway during the same period.

In a post on X, Rohit Pawar said, “New information has emerged that Rohit Singh was called late yesterday for questioning as a pilot in the investigation related to Ajit Dada’s aircraft accident.” He added that Singh had arrived in India a day earlier and reiterated his earlier claim that one of the accused linked to the crash had been allowed to travel to the United States.

Pawar also alleged discrepancies in flight records, stating that only 1,800 to 2,000 hours of data were available out of 5,000 hours of aircraft records. “Is the investigation being deliberately delayed to allow tampering or fabrication of the missing records?” he asked.Rohit Pawar

Questioning the nature of the probe, Pawar said, “When a prominent Maharashtra leader has died in the accident, what does it mean that the owner of the company allegedly responsible is being questioned merely as a pilot?”, even as the CID is probing the case from a criminal angle.

He further asked why the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) allegedly did not inform the CID about Singh’s arrival in India, suggesting that the “alleged relationship between DGCA and VSR” indicated confusion in the investigation and lack of coordination between agencies.

“This makes it clear that Ajit Dada holds no value for them… We expect the Centre and the state government to show seriousness so that the truth can come out,” Pawar said.

There was no immediate response from the agencies or the government to the allegations made by the NCP leader.