Political Leaders Demand Action Following Recent Aviation Tragedies
In a significant development concerning recent aviation incidents, NCP (SP) working president Rohit Pawar has made serious allegations against law enforcement authorities. Pawar asserted that the Marine Drive police station refused to register a formal case he attempted to file against VSR Ventures, the airline involved in recent fatal crashes. Consequently, Pawar announced his intention to pursue filing a First Information Report (FIR) in Baramati on Thursday.
Supriya Sule Calls for Parliamentary Accountability
Simultaneously, senior NCP (SP) leader Supriya Sule issued a strong demand on Wednesday, urging the Central government to deliver an official statement in Parliament when the session recommences next week. This statement should address the two devastating plane crashes that have recently occurred, including the tragic incident that claimed the life of Ajit Pawar and another air ambulance crash in Jharkhand on Tuesday that resulted in seven fatalities.
Sule emphasized the profound impact of these disasters, stating, "Many families directly and indirectly have been devastated by the tragedies. Therefore, we want a thorough investigation and preventive measures to achieve accident-free air travel." She expressed appreciation for the Directorate General of Civil Aviation's (DGCA) decision to ground four aircraft belonging to VSR Ventures but insisted on stringent action against officials responsible for procedural non-compliance that led to this grounding.
Rohit Pawar's Allegations and Police Response
Accompanied by party workers and NCP legislators, including Amol Mitkari, Rohit Pawar approached the Marine Drive police station with the intention of filing an FIR against both VSR Ventures and the DGCA. Pawar claimed that the aviation regulator had attempted to prematurely exonerate the airline despite evidence suggesting otherwise.
Pawar explained, "A circular was issued by DGCA and accordingly, action was taken against five aircraft of VSR and they were grounded. Through that circular, it indirectly came to light that VSR was responsible. It is the responsibility of DGCA to check whether an aircraft is airworthy or not. After receiving the circular from the central government in this regard, we tried to get an FIR filed."
He further alleged that the DGCA's initial report, which stated no Level 1 problems were detected, was an attempt to shield VSR Ventures from accountability. Pawar demanded that action be taken against DGCA officials involved in the air crash investigation as well.
Official Police Statement and Investigation Status
In response to these developments, the Marine Drive police issued a press note clarifying the situation. The note revealed that an accidental death case has already been registered at the Baramati taluka police station on January 28 in connection with the incident mentioned in Rohit Pawar's complaint.
The police statement detailed, "Further detailed investigation of the case is being conducted by the State Crime Investigation Department (CID), Maharashtra state, Pune. Since the subject matter of the complaint application received today is also related to the above incident, the said complaint application is being forwarded to the state CID Pune for further action."
This indicates that while Pawar's specific FIR attempt at Marine Drive was not registered, the matter is already under investigation by higher authorities, with his complaint being formally redirected to the ongoing CID probe in Pune for comprehensive examination.
