PUNE: NCP (SP) MLA and late deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar’s nephew Rohit Pawar on Thursday afternoon recorded his statement before the State CID officials at the probe agency’s Pune head office regarding the Jan 28 plane crash in Baramati that claimed the lives of his uncle and four others. The CID recorded his statement under section 180 of Bharatiya Nyaya Suraksha Sanhita which empowers police to examine a witness.Later, Rohit told reporters that his attempts to convince the police, first in Mumbai on Wednesday and later in Baramati on Thursday, to register an FIR related to the plane crash, did not get any positive response from the officers.
“Even the CID did not help in registering the FIR after which I recorded my statement with it and shared all the details related to the plane crash that I have obtained…I will continue to fight to get justice for my uncle,” he added.Sunil Ramanand, additional director general of police, State CID which took over the Ajit Pawar air crash probe on Jan 30, told reporters at a press conference on Thursday, “Our investigation is progressing in the right direction and is primarily focused on three key aspects, whether the crash was an act of sabotage, the result of negligence, or if it involved any form of criminal activity.“ Ramanand said the CID was not probing the cause of the air crash but was investigating the cause of death of the five persons on board. “Baramati Medical College, the forensic laboratory, and several central investigative agencies are assisting us in the probe. Other agencies are conducting parallel inquiries, and their findings will be duly considered in our probe,” the CID chief added.Ramanand said the CID is prepared to register a case under the appropriate sections of the law and proceed with further investigation, including filing a chargesheet in court, if the evidence points to any of these elements. “Our probe is focused on the potential criminal aspect behind the accident. Further steps will be taken once a conclusion is reached,” he added.MLA Rohit Pawar who met CID officials on Thursday said the officers involved in the probe are good at their work, but under ‘some pressure’ as VSR Ventures is connected to some big names. “However, as a family member of Ajit Pawar, I will continue to fight to get justice for my uncle,” the MLA added.Earlier in the day, Rohit along with his cousin Yugendra Pawar, went to the Baramati police station, accompanied by a large number of charged supporters from both the NCP groups who raised slogans and demanded CM’s resignation.Rohit and Yugendra had a heated argument with the police officers in Baramati police station over their demand to register the FIR. “It is shocking that a politician of the stature of Ajit Pawar died in a plane crash and his family is struggling to register an FIR. I will meet the chief minister soon and raise my demand with him,” Rohit said.
