Mumbai: In an interview with IANS, Shivkumar Mali, father of Pinky Mali, alleged that his family has received no assistance either from the government or from the VSR company following the death of his daughter. He said the family turned to the media to share their grievances and seek help after Pinky Mali, who was working as a cabin crew member on the chartered aircraft carrying Maharashtra’s then Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, died in the plane crash in Baramati. However, he further alleged that the VSR company had asked the family to stop speaking to the media.
Speaking to IANS, Shivkumar Mali said that the owner of the VSR company had called his son and asked the family to stop speaking to the media. He questioned where the family should take their grief if they were prevented from speaking to the media.
According to him, neither the government nor the VSR company has offered them support, which is why they approached the media, describing it as the fourth pillar of democracy and the only way for them to make their voices heard.
He further states that he only expects the receive compensation from the government or the company, which the family is yet to receive.
Dishearten over the lack of support and the alleged pressure, Shivkumar Mali questioned who the family should turn and get help from if they are not even allowed to speak to the media.
Pinky Mali’s brother, Karan Mali, said he was the one who received the call from VSR company owner VK Singh. According to him, the call was received on February 28.
Karan Mali said that VK Singh spoke to him in a loud voice and questioned what his father had been saying in the media. He said he offered to give the phone to his father so that the two could speak directly, but Singh declined and instead told him to explain matters to his father himself. He further alleged that the company owner appeared to be pressuring the family not to speak to the media and also blamed the pilots for the crash
Meanwhile, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) MLC Amol Mitkari on March 9 claimed that he had heard a recorded WhatsApp call in which VSR owner VK Singh allegedly warned Pinky Mali’s brother to stay away from the media.
In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Mitkari wrote, “We heard a recorded call in which VSR owner VK Singh threatened the brother to stay away from the media via a WhatsApp call. The language used by the pilot, ‘Ajit Pawar ne inke flight ko thok diya,’ raises suspicion — does this indicate VSR's connection to the underworld? One thing is certain: this matter is not as simple as it appears on the surface. Our Dada has been wronged.”
Earlier, on February 10, Ajit Pawar’s nephew Rohit Pawar had also expressed doubts about the nature of the crash and called for a thorough investigation. The following day, Pinky Mali’s father, Shivkumar Mali had echoed similar concerns and demanded clarity regarding the exact cause of the incident.
To get details on exclusive and budget-friendly property deals in Mumbai & surrounding regions, do visit: https://budgetproperties.in/
