Jay Pawar Demands ‘Full Audit’ Of VSR Ventures, Fleet Grounding
Sharing the clip on a social media platform, Jay Pawar stated, “We lost our father...this pain will stay with us for a lifetime. In this video, Rohit Singh, owner of VSR, is seen asleep in the chief pilot’s seat during the flight.
Mumbai: Jay Pawar, son of the late Ajit Pawar who died in a Baramati plane crash, has alleged serious safety lapses in flight operations by VSR Ventures by sharing a video purportedly showing a man asleep in the main pilot’s seat during a flight. Calling the incident ‘shocking,’ he has urged DGCA to ground all aircrafts operated by VSR Ventures and launch a comprehensive investigation into the company’s safety protocols.
Sharing the clip on a social media platform, Jay Pawar stated, “We lost our father...this pain will stay with us for a lifetime. In this video, Rohit Singh, owner of VSR, is seen asleep in the chief pilot’s seat during the flight. Such negligence while the aircraft is in the air is unacceptable. This is extremely serious and shocking.”
He demanded that the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) take immediate and strict action in the matter. “All VSR aircraft must be grounded with immediate effect until a complete investigation is conducted and Rohit Singh should be arrested without delay and subjected to stringent legal action. This is a son’s anguished appeal...for my father and for the safety of every passenger,” he said.
VSR Ventures operated the Learjet 45 business jet (United States, introduced 1998) that crashed on 28 January in Baramati, Pune district, with Ajit Pawar and four others on board.
The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) has released the preliminary report on the plane crash blaming the low visibility for the accident.
Expressing disappointment over the AAIB’s report, Jay Pawar said, “I feel pain and am disappointed that the report was not detailed and complete. People of Maharashtra and the families who lost their loved ones in the accident should get transparent information about the plane crash and all the questions should be answered.”
He demanded strict action against the entire fleet of VSR Ventures. “DGCA grounded some aircraft of VSR based on some loopholes. A possibility cannot be ruled out that other aircraft also have similar loopholes,” he said.
“If serious discrepancies are found in following the rules and SOPs, then instead of taking action against some aircraft, action should be taken against the entire fleet,” Jay Pawar demanded.
The DGCA, while giving topmost preference to the safety of passengers, should think of halting the entire operations of VSR Ventures, he added.
Earlier, Rohit Pawar, NCP (SP) MLA and Sharad Pawar’s grandnephew, had called for the resignation of Union Civil Aviation Minister K Rammohan Naidu over the fatal plane crash, alleging links between him and the CSR company.
