Kolkata: Soon after news broke of Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Ajit Pawar’s death in a plane crash, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee demanded a detailed investigation into the incident under the supervision of the Supreme Court.
In a video, Banerjee said she was “shocked” by the tragedy and raised serious concerns over the safety and security of people in the country, including political leaders. “There is no safety or security left not even for political leaders. We don’t know the fate of the opposition,” she said while reacting to the crash.
‘Supreme Court Monitoring Is the Only Trust Left’
Referring to recent political developments, Banerjee claimed that she had read reports on social media suggesting Ajit Pawar was considering leaving the ruling BJP alliance. Calling the crash “deeply unfortunate,” she demanded that the investigation be conducted under Supreme Court monitoring.
“The investigation should not be handed to agencies because, according to me, they are all sold. Supreme Court monitoring is the only trust left for the people,” she said, stressing the need for transparency and accountability.
Details of the Plane Crash
Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar died after the Learjet 45 aircraft he was travelling in crash-landed at Baramati airport on Wednesday morning. Officials confirmed that all five people on board were killed in the incident.
The chartered aircraft, registered as VT-SSK and operated by VSR, had departed from Mumbai around 8.10 am for Baramati. According to reports citing air traffic control (ATC) data, the jet attempted an emergency landing near the threshold of Runway 11 at approximately 8.48 am but lost control during the manoeuvre. The aircraft reportedly collided with a rock and immediately caught fire.
No Survivors, Probe Underway
Visuals from the crash site showed the aircraft completely destroyed and engulfed in flames as emergency responders rushed to the spot. Apart from Pawar, those killed were identified as Vidip Jadhav, Pinky Mali, Sumit Kapoor, and Sambhavi Pathak. Officials confirmed there were no survivors.
According to initial surfaced reports, suggests that technical issues, combined with poor visibility due to dense fog in the Pune–Baramati region, may have contributed to the crash. Data from FlightRadar24 indicated that the aircraft was attempting a second landing approach when the accident occurred. Aviation authorities have launched a detailed investigation to determine the exact cause.
