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Baramati crash: Rohit Pawar writes to PM Modi, seeks civil aviation minister’s resignation
NCP-SP MLA Rohit Pawar seeks independent probe into Baramati Learjet crash; Civil Aviation Ministry to release preliminary report by Feb 28
Nationalist Congress Party (SP) general secretary and MLA Rohit Pawar on Saturday wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, urging him to ask civil aviation minister K Ram Mohan Naidu to resign from his post until the inquiry into the January 28 plane crash that killed former Maharashtra deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar is completed.
In his letter to PM Modi, with a copy sent to Union home minister Amit Shah, Rohit Pawar requested “immediate action” regarding Naidu over his alleged links to VSR Ventures, the Delhi-based firm which operated the Learjet 45 that crashed near the Baramati airport on January 28, killing Ajit Pawar and four others.
“Serious questions have arisen about the company VSR and its links with Shri Ram Mohan Naidu. These links must be investigated by an independent and competent authority,” the letter said.
Urging PM Modi to ask Naidu to resign from his post as civil aviation minister, he said: “You have always shown respect for Ajit Dada and his contribution to the country. In this context, I request that Shri Ram Mohan Naidu be asked to resign from his post until the investigation is completed.”
The NCP(SP) leader called for Naidu to resign to “ensure that there is no influence or interference in examining whether the DGCA (Directorate General of Civil Aviation) was compromised in any manner in relation to VSR”.
Later addressing the media from NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar’s residence, Rohit Pawar said he had appealed to the PM for his personal intervention as no other authority could ensure an independent investigation.
Rohit Pawar said that his party was not claiming any political or financial links behind the crash, however, the alleged links between Naidu and VSR raise serious concerns about whether any probe can be transparent (CHECK).
“We are not saying these links are related to the accident, but we are worried about a transparent probe,” he said. “We demand a transparent and independent probe under the committee of retired officers, a former judge, Leader of Opposition (LoP) of Lok Sabha, LoP in Maharashtra, MPs including Supriya Sule, family members of dada (Ajit Pawar), and other party members.”
According to Rohit Pawar, one of VSR’s key lenders, Heritage Finlease Limited, has directors belonging to the family of Telugu Desam Party (TDP) chief and Andhra Pradesh chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu. This includes the CM’s wife and his son, state IT minister Nara Lokesh.
Rohit Pawar said this funding trail directly overlapped with the political affiliation of the civil aviation minister and constituted a clear conflict of interest.
He also alleged that VSR manages aircraft used by several eminent personalities and that influential figures from the ruling party and TDP attended the wedding of VSR promoter Rohit Singh, pointing to what he described as the company’s proximity to political and corporate power across party lines.
People close to the aviation minister dismissed Rohit Pawar’s accusations “completely unfounded and baseless”, further describing the allegations as “politically motivated”.
“Aircraft accident investigations are carried out strictly in accordance with established international AAIB protocols and ICAO norms. These inquiries are technical, transparent, and entirely evidence-driven,” one of the people said on anonymity. “Rather than making wild allegations, we should let the investigating bodies do their job and come up with evidence based answers.”
