NCP-SP leader Supriya Sule on Friday demanded a time-bound probe into the plane crash that killed former Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, and criticized the state government for not filing an FIR in the matter.
Pawar and four other people on board a chartered plane were killed after it crashed 200 meters from the edge of a tabletop runway at Baramati Airport in Maharashtra state on January 28.
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Referring to the incident during Question Hour in Lok Sabha, Sule said that if the former deputy prime minister does not get justice, what about others?
Rohit Pawar, nephew of Ajit Pawar, said on Tuesday that since the Maharashtra Police failed to register an FIR due to negligence alleged in his complaint related to the incident, he has filed a zero FIR in Bengaluru.
Read also | Zero FIR attempt in Bengaluru in Baramati plane crash case to defame Maharashtra: CM Fadnavis
Against this backdrop, Sule said there should be a time-bound investigation into the incident and criticized the Maharashtra government for not lodging an FIR.
Meanwhile, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Wednesday said the ‘zero’ FIR registered in Bengaluru over the plane crash was a ‘strategic attempt’ to tarnish the image of the state.
In its initial report issued on February 28, the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) said that visibility at the time of the accident was below the desired level.
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It also reported fading marks on the runway and the presence of loose gravel on the runway surface at the airport, with the regulatory body DGCA recommending that stakeholders ensure safety standards are maintained at unattended airports.
Fadnavis on Wednesday also said that the state government has asked the Center to involve the CBI in the investigation. He said while the state CID was currently investigating the accidental death report, the final report of the African CID would determine whether the case should be transferred to a criminal FIR.
This story has been published from a news agency feed without modifications to the text.
