Rohit Pawar to meet Kejriwal, INDIA bloc leaders on Ajit Pawar plane crash

NCP SP MLA Rohit Pawar on Friday said he will meet Aam Aadmi Party AAP convenor Arvind Kejriwal and other leaders of the INDIA alliance in New Delhi to urge them to raise the issue of the January 28 plane crash that killed former Maharashtra deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar and four others reported news agency PTISpeaking to reporters in Pune Pawar said he has sought appointments with Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav and Trinamool Congress chief and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to discuss the matter and push for it to be raised in ParliamentPawar to raise issue with INDIA bloc leadersRohit Pawar said he plans to meet several senior opposition leaders in Delhi and request them to highlight the issue during parliamentary proceedingsldquoThe fight will now be taken to Delhi Tomorrow I will meet Arvind Kejriwal and other INDIA bloc leaders and urge them to raise this issue in Parliamentrdquo he said reported PTIHe also expressed disappointment that legislators who had sided with Ajit Pawar during the NCP split in July 2023 have not taken a strong stand on the matterldquoI am deeply saddened that the MLAs who went with Ajitdada are not willing to take any standrdquo Pawar saidCID delays FIR despite preliminary report Rohit PawarThe NCP SP leader made the remarks after meeting Criminal Investigation Department CID officials in Pune where he submitted documents including the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau AAIB preliminary report related to the crash reported PTIThe meeting was held as part of a statement recorded under Section 180 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita BNSSAccording to Pawar CID officials had earlier indicated that an FIR would be registered once the AAIB preliminary report was submitted However during the latest meeting investigators allegedly said an FIR could only be registered after the final report is released reported PTIldquoDuring our previous visit CID officials told us an FIR would be registered after the AAIB report was submitted Today they changed their stand saying an FIR can only be registered after the final reportrdquo Pawar claimed reported PTIQuestions raised over delay in final reportPawar also highlighted delays in the release of the final investigation report in a separate VSR aircraft crash in 2023 noting that it is still awaitedHe said the Directorate General of Civil Aviation DGCA has indicated that the report will be issued soon but the delay raises concerns about the pace of investigationsldquoThis delay shows there is clear dillydallying in registering an FIR in the plane crash caserdquo he allegedAllegations of preferential treatment during questioningThe MLA also raised questions about the treatment given to VK Singh owner of VSR Ventures the company that operated the aircraft involved in the crashAccording to Pawar Singh was given special treatment when he appeared before the CID for questioningldquoHe was given royal treatment at the CID office His security personnel carrying AK47 rifles were allowed inside and he was whisked away from the media on his way outrdquo Pawar alleged reported PTIHe questioned why the businessman was shielded from journalists after his questioningAllegations of pressure on investigatorsRohit Pawar further alleged that there may be pressure on investigating agencies claiming that no concrete probe appears to be underwayHe alleged that the delay in registering an FIR and the manner in which the investigation is progressing could indicate an attempt to protect the company that operated the aircraftldquoThis shows something is clearly fishyrdquo Pawar said adding that he would continue to push for a thorough investigation into the incident reported PTIThe plane crash on January 28 claimed the lives of Ajit Pawar and four others sending shockwaves across Maharashtrarsquos political landscape and prompting calls for a comprehensive investigation into the circumstances surrounding the accidentWith inputs from PTI