Sipu Jha
MUMBAI: Deputy CM Sunetra Pawar and other NCP members on Tuesday met CM Devendra Fadnavis and demanded a CBI probe into the Jan 28 air crash that killed Ajit Pawar. NCP state chief Sunil Tatkare told reporters that the CM has assured them the state govt would communicate with the Union home ministry. “The govt has already initiated a probe by independent agencies and has said it will order a CBI investigation. We feel a probe by the central agency would be comprehensive,” Tatkare said. Sunetra Pawar, accompanied by her elder son Parth Pawar and others, handed over to the CM a letter seeking a CBI probe.Ajit Pawar and four others were killed in a crash in Baramati. Multiple aspects of plane crash raise apprehensions, says NCPIn the letter, NCP stated, “Multiple aspects surrounding the incident give rise to legitimate apprehensions requiring investigation by an independent central agency.” Among the “substantial questions” raised, the letter said, were the reported last-minute changes in flight crew composition which requires scrutiny of operational decision-making and authorisation, apparent anomalies concerning Air Traffic Control communications and sequencing of runway clearances, concerns regarding the functioning and integrity of critical onboard safety warning systems, absence of any recorded distress communication despite proximity to landing phase, and matters requiring forensic evaluation, including crew fitness, maintenance compliance, and aircraft systems. The party said that as the probe into the incident involves highly technical aviation, forensic, electronic, and operational considerations, the investigative powers, technical expertise, and inter-state jurisdictional capacity of CBI render it the most appropriate agency to conduct a comprehensive inquiry. A CBI probe would serve to reinforce confidence in the fairness and integrity of the investigative process and ensure that all aspects are examined without limitation, the letter stated. NCP highlighted that the nature of the incident transcends an ordinary accident and directly engages public confidence in aviation safety, regulatory oversight, and institutional accountability. The NCP legislature party is fully behind Sunetra Pawar and there is no dissent, Tatkare said. He said BJP state chief Ravindra Chavan met him at the NCP office and discussed the way forward for the Mahayuti alliance after its victory in the zilla parishad polls. He also said incidents such as bribery in NCP minister Narhari Zirwal’s office malign the image of govt and ministers.
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