Is Ajit Pawar’s family under pressure?

Fresh questions are being raised in Maharashtra’s political circles about whether the family of late deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar is under pressure, after his son Jay Pawar abruptly cancelled a press conference where he was expected to address the controversial plane crash that killed the senior leader.

The crash, which occurred on 28 January in Baramati, has already triggered suspicion and political controversy, with Pawar’s nephew Rohit Pawar and Nationalist Congress Party (Ajit Pawar faction) MLA Amol Mitkari publicly questioning the investigation and alleging inconsistencies in the official probe.

Jay Pawar’s sudden withdrawal from the planned press conference on Monday has now added another layer of intrigue. The younger Pawar had recently shared a video on social media allegedly showing Rohit Singh — the son of VSR company owner V.K. Singh and one of the pilots — asleep in the cockpit during a flight. Posting the clip online, Jay Pawar demanded a thorough investigation.

Since his father’s death, he has also been sharing emotional posts on social media. Against this backdrop, many who have been calling for an impartial probe expected Jay Pawar to follow Rohit Pawar and Mitkari in publicly raising questions about the circumstances surrounding the crash.

Instead, the press conference he had announced in Mumbai was cancelled without explanation — fuelling speculation that the Pawar family may be facing pressure to avoid escalating the issue.

Political observers point to a series of developments since the crash that they say suggest indirect pressure on the family.

Soon after Ajit Pawar’s death, his wife Sunetra Pawar was sworn in as deputy chief minister. She was later elected unopposed as the national president of the NCP (Ajit Pawar faction).

However, when Sunetra Pawar was presented before the media after her elevation as party chief, she did not address reporters. Senior leaders Praful Patel and Sunil Tatkare instead told journalists that she was not mentally prepared to speak due to the shock of Ajit Pawar’s death. She was then escorted away without taking questions — a development that drew criticism from Rohit Pawar.

At the same time, some party legislators reportedly urged Sunetra Pawar to seek a meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi to discuss the investigation into the crash. She has not made any clear statement on that proposal so far.

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has since released a preliminary report on the accident. Rohit Pawar has criticised the report, pointing to what he described as several shortcomings.

Asked about the investigation on Saturday, Sunetra Pawar said multiple agencies were probing the incident and it would be appropriate to comment only after the final report was released. Shortly after that statement, Jay Pawar announced his now aborted press conference.

Meanwhile, Mitkari has questioned why the Maharashtra legislature has not debated the crash or the investigation. Speaking to reporters at the Vidhan Bhavan complex on Monday, Mitkari said Legislative Council chairman Ram Shinde had been postponing discussion on the issue for several days before it was eventually removed from the agenda.

“It is shocking that the plane crash involving our own state’s deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar is not being discussed in the legislature,” Mitkari said. “How can people expect justice in such circumstances?”

Mitkari also met the family of Pinky Mali, the flight attendant who died in the crash, at a hospital on Monday. In a social media post later, he claimed that Mali’s family had shared an audio recording with him in which VSR company owner V.K. Singh allegedly warned Mali’s brother to stay away from the media. Mitkari further alleged that during the conversation, the phrase “Ajit Pawar's flight was rammed” was used while referring to the pilot.

Meanwhile, Rohit Pawar has been meeting political leaders in New Delhi, urging them to raise the issue in Parliament. On Monday, he met Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav as part of these efforts.

At the same time, Pune CID officials are questioning VSR company owner V.K. Singh about the accident. According to reports, Singh has told investigators that the crash occurred due to a mistake by pilot Sumit Kapoor. Rohit Pawar has rejected that claim, alleging that Singh is being protected while the pilot is being made a scapegoat.

With questions mounting, the abrupt cancellation of Jay Pawar’s press conference has only deepened speculation about whether the Pawar family is being discouraged from pressing too hard for answers.