A month after the Baramati air crash that claimed the life of Maharashtra's deputy chief minister and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) president Ajit Pawar, his son Jay Pawar has broken his silence with a deeply personal and sharply worded social media post, demanding the immediate arrest of VSR Ventures' owner Rohit Singh and calling the aircraft accident investigation bureau's (AAIB) preliminary report on the crash 'incomplete and superficial'.
In
an Instagram post accompanied by a video, Mr Pawar described his appeal as the cry of a grieving son as much as a public warning. "We have lost my father... this pain will stay with me for a lifetime," he wrote. "This is a son's desperate plea — for my father, and for the safety of every passenger."
The post has drawn wide attention, not just for its emotional weight but for the serious allegations it contains. Mr Pawar shared a video purportedly showing Rohit Singh, the promoter and owner of VSR Ventures, the aviation company that operated the ill-fated flight, asleep in the main pilot's seat while the aircraft was in flight. "Such negligence cannot exist while in the sky," he wrote. "This is extremely serious and shocking."
VSR Ventures has not issued a public response to the allegations.
Mr Pawar trained his fire equally on the AAIB, the statutory body tasked with investigating civil aviation accidents in India. The bureau released its preliminary report on Saturday on the crash of Learjet 45 aircraft VT-SSK which went down at Baramati airfield in Maharashtra.
"I have read the preliminary report investigated by the AAIB. It causes me immense pain and sorrow to see that this report has not been prepared thoroughly or in-depth," he says. "The people of Maharashtra, and all the families who lost their loved ones in this accident, deserve transparent answers and the truth — not just formal information."
He demanded a wider, more rigorous investigation, warning that the current preliminary findings fell far short of the accountability owed to the victims' families.
Even in its preliminary form, the AAIB report paints a troubling picture of systemic failures across multiple layers of aviation safety on the day of the crash.
The Learjet 45 attempted to land at Baramati airfield in visibility of about 3,000 metres—well below the 5,000-metre minimum mandated for visual flight rules (VFR) operations at that airfield. The AAIB noted that the airfield itself lacked critical navigational aids that would have been essential for a safe approach in such conditions.
The physical state of the runway added to the hazards. Runway markings were found to be severely faded, the airfield having last been recarpeted in 2016. Windsocks—basic safety devices that indicate wind direction to approaching pilots—were absent on the landing side at runway 11.
Perhaps most alarmingly, the air traffic control tower (ATC) at Baramati at the time of the accident was being manned not by a certified air traffic controller, but by a ground instructor from a local flight school. The ATC tower is supposed to be the last line of communication and guidance for an incoming aircraft; having an uncertified individual at the controls raised immediate questions about the oversight failures that allowed the situation to arise.
CCTV footage reviewed by AAIB showed the aircraft banking sharply to the right and striking trees before impacting the ground at an elevation lower than the runway itself.
Mr Pawar has laid out three non-negotiable demands in his post. First, a thorough investigation into the entire episode and strict action against those responsible. Second, the immediate grounding of all VSR Ventures aircraft until the investigation is concluded. Third, the arrest of Mr Singh and the initiation of stringent legal proceedings against him.
He also called on the directorate general of civil aviation (DGCA), India's aviation regulator, to intervene immediately, arguing that the regulator cannot stand by while evidence of serious cockpit negligence circulates publicly.
The Baramati crash and its aftermath have thrown a harsh light on the state of private charter aviation in India. The combination of alleged owner negligence in the cockpit, a poorly maintained airfield, the absence of proper navigational aids, faded runway markings and an uncertified ATC operator suggests not an isolated failure but a chain of regulatory lapses that went unchecked.
AAIB's preliminary report is, by definition, not the final word. A full investigation is expected to take considerably longer and may result in fresh findings. But for Mr Pawar, and for the families of others who perished in the crash, the pace, depth and transparency of that investigation will determine whether justice is served or quietly buried.
"The people of Maharashtra deserve the truth," he says. As of Monday, neither DGCA nor AAIB had publicly responded to Mr Pawar's demands.
Setback for Sameer Wankhede as Delhi HC Quashes CAT Relief in Cordelia Drug Bust Case
Moneylife Digital Team
27 February 2026
The Delhi High Court (HC) on Friday allowed the Union government’s plea challenging the central administrative tribunal (CAT) order that had quashed disciplinary proceedings against Indian Revenue Service (IRS) officer Sameer...
Hearsay Evidence, Unreliable Approvers: How CBI's Allegations Collapsed and Court Discharged Arvind Kejriwal and Manish Sisodia
Prashant Jha (Bar
and
Bench)
27 February 2026
A Delhi court on Friday acquitted all 23 accused in the Delhi Excise Policy case investigated by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), including former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Deputy Chief Minister Manish...
Aravalli Definition: Supreme Court Seeks Names of Environmental Specialists for Expert Committee
Debayan Roy (Bar
and
Bench)
27 February 2026
The Supreme Court of India on Thursday asked the Central government to suggest names of environmental and forest experts who can be part of the committee to re-examine the contentious definition of the Aravalli Hills.
A Bench of...
CJI Surya Kant Orders Deep Probe into Supreme Court Registry Functioning
Moneylife Digital Team
26 February 2026
Chief justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant on Thursday announced that he would order a deep administrative probe into the functioning of the Supreme Court registry after discovering that a petition dismissed by a three-judge bench was...
