We suspect that Ajit Pawar’s death was sabotage, not an accident, says family

Ajit Pawar’s family has expressed suspicion that the flight crash in which he died last month was a sabotage and not an accident. Holding a press conference in Mumbai on Tuesday (February 10, 2026), Ajit Pawar’s nephew and NCP SP MLA Rohit Pawar raised several questions, and sought an independent probe by at least two international agencies.

He claimed that the last minute changes were made to the itinerary and that the crew was not vetted before being changed at the last minute. He also asked if fuel tanks were illegally carried on the craft and if the pilot had intended to crash the plane instead of landing it safely.

Meanwhile, a few leaders of NCP met Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Tuesday (February 10, 2026) and submitted a letter seeking a high-level, court-monitored probe in Pawar’s death.

During his one-and-a-half hour press conference, Mr. Rohit Pawar claimed that there were contradictions about the timing of the crash in the ATC transcript and in the report given by the Union Aviation Ministry. He also claimed that the transponder was switched off a minute before the crash. Casting aspersions on the pilot of the aircraft, he asked why the pilot did not utter a single word even when the plane was going down, and why were the last words uttered only by the assistant pilot. He claimed that wrong information was provided about visibility before the take off from Mumbai, and asked why the pilot repeatedly asked for permission to land on a more challenging runway on a tabletop, instead of landing on a clear runway, which was allegedly easier to land on.

He accused the investigating agencies of a lax attitude, claiming that the investigation was not being done with a sense of urgency. He expressed apprehension that the slow speed might lead to an opportunity for covering of tracks.

“Our main suspects are VSR, Arrow, Sumit Kapoor (pilot). There was misrepresentation that the visibility was clear. We trust the DGCA. We have no allegations against the government. But how can a CID probe find out details when an expert opinion is needed? Currently, the speed of the investigation is very slow. Is there no interest in the probe? Will it lead to the possibility of manipulation?” he asked during the press conference at YB Chavan auditorium in Mumbai.

“Why was the plane stalled? Where is the techlog of the craft? Where is the airworthy report of the craft? Who had done the routine check-up? The investigators need to speak with those who must have done all these inspections and written all the reports. Where are the CCTV footages of the hangar? No investigation has been done so far. All these things can be manipulated if this is not done properly,” he said.

He showed screen grabs of alleged private Whatsapp group conversations within the company, claiming that the pilot in question was earlier rebuked for drinking.

Mr. Rohit Pawar claimed that there were serious concerns about VSR, the company which owned the aircraft. “Cockpit Voice Recording was kept switched off. There was flouting of Flight Duty Time Limitation. Techlog wasn’t maintained. Stall Warning System was not functional. Was there pressure on the pilot to reach the next location in the afternoon?” he said.

‘Culpable homicide’

Ajit Pawar, Captain Sumit Kapoor, with a flying experience of 15,000 hours, co-pilot Capt. Shambhavi Pathak, with 1,500 hours of flying, Personal Security Officer (PSO) Vidip Jadhav, and flight attendant Pinky Mali, were killed on January 28, when the Learjet aircraft crashed near the Baramati airport in Pune district.

Mr. Rohit Pawar raised several questions regarding the sequence of events leading up to the crash.

According to Mr. Rohit Pawar, the original pilots — Sahil Madan and Yash — were reportedly delayed due to traffic. “Then how did Sumit Kapoor and Shambhavi Pathak reach the airport? Were they living nearby?” he asked, adding that Pathak had more flying experience on the Learjet than Kapoor.

He further demanded that VSR company officials be booked for culpable homicide.

According to Mr. Rohit Pawar, Ajit Pawar was scheduled to travel to Pune on the evening of January 27 after a Cabinet meeting, and his convoy was ready — a fact that could be verified through CCTV footage at Deogiri Bungalow, Ajit Pawar’s official residence.

“However, a leader from East Vidarbha arrived with a file related to scrapping a political consultant’s contract, which delayed the meeting. The aircraft booking was done late at night. Ajitdada was scheduled to take off at 7 am, yet the plane departed only at 8.10 a.m.,” Mr. Rohit Pawar said.

(With PTI inputs)