Opposition demands independent probe into plane crash that killed Ajit Pawar

Opposition leaders on Wednesday raised questions about the plane crash that killed Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar and four others in Baramati, and demanded an independent investigation into the matter.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee expressed shock at Ajit Pawar’s death in the crash and said that the “incident needs proper investigation”.

The Trinamool Congress chief told reporters that “there is no safety and security of the people of this country”.

The small aircraft crashed near an airstrip in Baramati town during its second attempt to land after having initiated a go-around. Two pilots, Pawar’s aide and a security officer were the others who died in the incident.

The cause of the crash was unclear.

The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau, a unit of the civil aviation ministry, is investigating the crash.

On Wednesday, Banerjee said that a few days ago she had come across a claim by an unidentified leader of another party on social media that Ajit Pawar was “willing to leave” the Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance, India Today reported.

“And now what happened today…I need proper investigation under the supervision of the Supreme Court,” she was quoted as saying. “We only trust the Supreme Court, no other agency.”

In 2023, Ajit Pawar, along with several party MLAs, joined Maharashtra’s Mahayuti coalition government comprising the Bharatiya Janata Party and...

Read more