The Mumbai politician, Rohit Pawar, has stated that Mumbai police would not file an FIR in the plane crash near Baramati that took the lives of Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar and four other people. He feels that this refusal has made the suspicion about the crash worse and created doubts about who is to blame.
The Police and the Reported Refusal to Record an FIR
Rohit Pawar explained that he, alongside party MLC Amol Mitkari, Idris Naikwadi, and MLA Sandeep Kshirsagar, had gone to the Marine Drive police station to ask that an FIR be filed using the rules in the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. He called this a legal act to start a criminal inquiry.
He also said that when officers started to write down their statements, a high-ranking officer would not file an FIR and dealt with their request as if it was only a matter of form. He said this treatment made suspicion stronger – that the government or officials could be shielding someone involved in the crash.
What the DGCA Found and VSR Ventures’ Planes Being Stopped
After the Learjet 45 (VT-SSK) crashed close to Baramati on January 28, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation ordered that four planes belonging to VSR Ventures be grounded. The DGCA also ordered a special audit of the company’s safety, following the deadly crash.
The regulator said that audit groups found a number of times the company did not follow the approved rules for being fit to fly, air safety, and flight work. Rohit Pawar pointed to the DGCA report, which said the crash was the result of carelessness by the VSR company.
How Politicians Reacted and the Calls for Fairness
Rohit Pawar saw the refusal to file an FIR as a problem both in politics and the law, and asked if Ajit Pawar would get fairness if authorities went on to resist a formal criminal filing. He stressed that elected people from both the opposition and the government had asked for action.
Pawar announced a plan for people who support him to go to the Baramati taluka police station to ask for an FIR to be filed, saying they would not give up until the matter had a sensible and open result. He asked authorities to act openly in order to win back the public’s trust.
When the AAIB Investigation Will Report and the Questions Still Out There
The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau is expected to release a first report on the crash before February 28. This technical report is not the same as criminal or regulatory action, but will give proof about what caused the crash and what helped lead to it.
Some people have voiced fears about a possible plot or deliberate wrongdoing, but investigators will need to confirm these claims with technical data, what people saw, and records of plane maintenance. If carelessness or a crime is proven, both regulatory and criminal steps may be taken.
Safety in Aviation, Legal Responsibility and What the Public Believes
Regulatory actions like safety reviews and planes being grounded show active control, but the refusal to file an FIR could damage trust in the legal system and the enforcement of rules. Quick, open legal actions would help link what the technical studies find with ways to hold people responsible.
Those involved – regulators, police, and people investigating on their own – must work together to make sure proof is kept and the public sees actions they can believe in. Clear talk about what will happen next and a quick FIR filing, when it is right to do so, would help solve both the safety problems and what the public is worried about.
