NCP (SP) MLA Rohit Pawar on Tuesday said he had to file a ‘zero FIR’ in Karnataka after police in Maharashtra failed to register a case on his complaint regarding the Baramati air crash that claimed the life of then deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar.
Initiating a debate in the Assembly, Pawar said he approached the Marine Drive police station in Mumbai, Baramati police and the state Crime Investigation Department, but no FIR was registered.
“Despite approaching multiple police stations and agencies in Maharashtra, no FIR was registered. I had to go to Karnataka where a ‘zero FIR’ was registered, and it was transferred to the Maharashtra Director General of Police today morning. Will the government act on it now?” he asked.
Referring to a recent case involving a zero FIR over an alleged insult to Justice Bhushan Gawai, Pawar said a similar route had to be taken in this case due to inaction in Maharashtra.
He noted that police can register a zero FIR even when the crime is outside their jurisdiction and later transfer it to the appropriate station.
Pawar further alleged that despite Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis writing to Union Home Minister Amit Shah flagging concerns over the January 28 crash, there has been “no response and no action so far”.
A request for a CBI probe was made 35 days ago, but the agency is yet to take up the case, he said, contrasting it with the swift transfer of actor Sushant Singh Rajput’s case to the central agency.
“There was a deliberate attempt to suppress facts, and a leader of Ajit Pawar’s stature, who served the state for over 22 years, is yet to get justice,” he alleged.
Targeting MLAs of the Ajit Pawar-led NCP, now headed by Deputy Chief Minister Sunetra Pawar, Rohit Pawar said most members were focused on “funds and power” rather than seeking justice.
“Except for MLA Chetan Tupe, not a single member of his party spoke up… Is power more important than the man who made them MLAs?” he asked.
Raising concerns over VSR Aviation, Pawar alleged that its Learjet 45 aircraft involved in the crash was in poor condition and “would not even pass as scrap”.
He claimed a 2023 government tender to procure a new aircraft was cancelled after the company’s owner, V K Singh, created a ruckus at Mantralaya as his firm was ineligible due to prior accident history.
“Had new planes been bought, Ajit Pawar would have been alive today,” he said.
Pawar also alleged that during then chief minister Eknath Shinde’s visit to Davos, an aircraft operated by the same firm faced risk in Iran-Iraq airspace due to lack of proper permissions.
He urged Fadnavis, along with his deputies Shinde and Sunetra Pawar, to ensure there is no further delay in the probe.
Supporting him, Congress leader Vijay Wadettiwar said even a primary FIR was not registered after the fatal accident.
NCP (SP) MLA Jitendra Awhad said the refusal to register an FIR violated Supreme Court guidelines.
“The Supreme Court has clearly ruled that police must register an FIR if a complaint is made. There is no restriction of jurisdiction,” Awhad said.
(With inputs from PTI)