New Delhi [India], March 17 : Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Tuesday assured that a comprehensive investigation is underway into the Baramati plane crash incident, stating that all concerned agencies are working to uncover the truth.
Speaking to the reporters, Shinde said that NCP leader Rohit Pawar had met him as well as the Chief Minister, with a clear demand for a fair and thorough probe into the incident.
"Rohit Pawar met with me; he also met with the Chief Minister. His only demand is that there should be a proper investigation into this matter. The Maharashtra government is also investigating it, the agencies are also investigating it, and the central government is also investigating this incident," Shinde said.
He further described the death of Ajit Pawar in the crash as a deeply unfortunate incident, terming it a "very big tragedy" for everyone.
"Ajit Pawar's unfortunate death is a very big tragedy for all of us. The truth should come out, that is Rohit Pawar's demand. All agencies are working in that direction. Certainly, whatever the truth is, it will come out," he added.
The Deputy CM reiterated that multiple agencies, including those of the state and the Centre, are actively probing the crash to ensure accountability and transparency.
Ajit Pawar died on the morning of January 28 when the Learjet 45 aircraft (VT-SSK) carrying him crash-landed while attempting to land at Baramati airport in Pune district. The aircraft went down near the runway threshold, killing all five people on board. Among the deceased were Pawar, his personal security officer, a flight attendant, and two pilots. He was travelling from Mumbai to Baramati to campaign for the Zilla Panchayat elections.
The DGCA constituted a multi-disciplinary audit team that observed several non-compliances of approved procedures in the organisation in the area of airworthiness, air safety, and flight operations and ordered a special safety audit of M/s VSR Ventures Pvt Ltd.
Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau said in its Preliminary Report that the visibility reported at Baramati on January 28, at the time of landing of the VT-SSK aircraft, was below the minimum requirement of five kilometres.
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