BENGALURU: Investigation into the Jan 28 aircraft crash that claimed the life of Maharashtra deputy CM Ajit Pawar has taken a fresh turn with Karjat-Jamkhed MLA Rohit Rajendra Pawar filing a police complaint in Bengaluru alleging a criminal conspiracy behind the incident.Based on his complaint, High Grounds police registered a Zero FIR, which is an FIR registered at any police station, regardless of where the offence was committed. It is later transferred to jurisdictional station for investigation, ensuring there is no delay in filing a complaint.Confirming Rohit’s complaint, Bengaluru City police commissioner Seemanth Kumar Singh said: “On Monday, Ajit Pawar’s nephew Rohit turned up at High Grounds police station and requested to register a zero FIR seeking inquiry into the death. Since Supreme Court has issued the guidelines stating zero FIRs can be registered anywhere in the country, we registered the same and transferred it to the DGP, Maharashtra, through our DG&IGP since it is the proper channel.“Singh clarified that the FIR was not registered based on court directive and it was done after Rohit appeared in person. Another senior police officer said Rohit had tried to lodge a complaint in Maharashtra but could not as state CID was already probing the circumstances leading to the death of Ajit Pawar.In the complaint, Rohit alleged the Bombardier Learjet 45 (VT-SSK, operated by VSR Ventures) was not airworthy. “The material available discloses systematic violations of aviation safety regulations, deliberate falsification of records, negligence in maintenance and operations, and a pattern of conduct that caused the deaths of those aboard,” he said referring to the incident at Baramati.“At the time of the crash, the aircraft had accumulated 4,915 flight hours, leaving only about 85 hours before the mandatory engine Time Before Overhaul (‘TBO’) threshold of 5,000 hours was reached. Despite operating dangerously close to this limit, the aircraft was deployed for commercial operations, placing the crew and passengers at heightened risk of mechanical malfunction,” he stated. Even visibility was not properly assessed, he alleged.The airworthiness certificate for the aircraft was issued on Dec 16, 2021, while aircraft registration certificate was issued on Dec 27, 2022, a full year later. Standard aviation procedure requires that registration must precede airworthiness certification. This reversal of prescribed sequence suggests either gross administrative failure or deliberate manipulation of records at the DGCA level, he stated.Rohit alleged that chief pilot Sumit Kapoor, had a documented history of alcohol-related violations. “Kapoor’s profile, financial vulnerability following suspension, documented history of alcohol abuse, and susceptibility to coercion, renders him a person highly susceptible to threat or inducement,” he alleged.This apart, the crew initially requested the safer Runway 29. Two minutes later, they switched to Runway 11, the more dangerous tabletop runway, without justification. No second go-around was attempted despite visual evidence that the first approach had failed, he alleged. Rohit questioned Kapoor’s silence seconds before the crash when co-pilot Shambhavi Pathak muttered in panic.
