Rohit Pawar Calls AAIB Report Misleading
“The AAIB report said that the aircraft collided with trees but there were no trees in the vicinity except some bushes that are far from the accident spot. The aircraft didn’t even touch them. The observation made by them is completely wrong,” Rohit said.
Mumbai: Continuing his attack on VSR Ventures and the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) over the plane crash that claimed the life of former deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar, NCP(SP) MLA Rohit Pawar on Wednesday alleged discrepancies in the preliminary report released by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB). He also alleged that the VSR Ventures had put the life of Shiv Sena chief Eknath Shinde at risk.
Calling the AAIB report ‘misleading and unreliable’ and questioning its credibility, Rohit claimed that although there are no trees in the vicinity of Baramati airport, the report stated that the aircraft had collided with trees.
“The AAIB report said that the aircraft collided with trees but there were no trees in the vicinity except some bushes that are far from the accident spot. The aircraft didn’t even touch them. The observation made by them is completely wrong,” Rohit said.
“The report claims the plane banked to the right, but the footage clearly shows it tilting to the left. If they can’t even get the direction of the fall right, how can we trust the rest of the report,” he asked.
Rohit displayed photographs of the aircraft’s black box, allegedly from the crashed plane, asserting that it appeared undamaged. According to him, DGCA deputy director Ramachandran had signed a document at the Baramati police station stating that the black box was intact. He said that the same DGCA is now claiming that the black box sustained damage, suspecting cover-ups and attempts to manipulate the probe to protect VSR Ventures and interests of influential individuals who have invested in the charter operating firm.
The MLA claimed that the VSR company made a major negligence during Eknath Shinde’s Davos tour in 2023 that put his life at risk.
“In international travel, a flight plan has to be given, and permission from other countries has to be obtained. If a plane enters that country without permission, it can even be shot down, and something similar happened in the case of Eknath Shinde Saheb,” he claimed.
Pawar alleged that after refuelling the plane, it went through Iranian territory while on its way to Zurich. The Iranian authorities then warned to shoot down the plane if it didn’t turn back. The plane then flew over the Iraqi territory, where the same thing happened, Pawar alleged, adding that Shinde himself was on the plane.
“As the fuel was running low, the plane was brought back to Bahrain. After three hours, all the permissions were obtained, and then it went to Zurich. So we are saying that do not trust VSR. Eknath Shinde can tell more about this,” Pawar said, adding that there was data from Bahrain to prove this.
He said Shinde could have faced the same fate as Ajit Pawar. “Has the DGS released any information about this? Can Eknath Shinde clearly state this?” he also said.