'Black Box Burned?': Sanjay Raut questions alleged technical lapses in Baramati plane crash

Sanjay Raut's comments follow the Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchand Pawar) leader Rohit Pawar's recent allegations suggesting the Baramati Learjet 45 crash may involve a conspiracy rather than a mere accident.

Mumbai: Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut on Tuesday supported suspicions within the Pawar family over the January 28 plane crash that killed former Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, calling the burned condition of the aircraft's black box "mysterious" and "very serious".

At a press conference, Raut said, "Ajit Pawar's flight's black box has burned," underlining the Pawar family's doubts and raising questions about the government's handling of the investigation.

"Rohit Pawar is a member of that family, he understands technical matters... the mysterious facts emerging about Ajit Pawar's accident are very serious. The black box has burned... The black box has been found even after 20 years, but Ajit Pawar's flight's black box has burned. How can this be possible? If Rohit Pawar has raised this issue, it is serious, and if the Pawar family wants to investigate it, they should do so. The government's intentions in this matter are not right," he said.

Raut's comments follow the Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchand Pawar) leader Rohit Pawar's recent allegations suggesting the Baramati Learjet 45 crash, which claimed Ajit Pawar and four others, may involve a conspiracy rather than a mere accident, amid ongoing scrutiny of the probe by aviation authorities.

"Entire Maharashtra is questioning whether Ajit Dada's plane crash was an accident or a conspiracy? I am sharing with you all what I feel. Some people are still expecting Dada to come from somewhere. Some say 6 people were in the aircraft, it was not Ajit Dada's dead body, it still feels like a nightmare," he said while holding a press conference on the Baramati air crash.

Rohit Pawar highlighted the atmosphere of suspicion, grief, and political intrigue currently surrounding these events in Maharashtra. He mentioned an investigation into the accident, citing a book that suggests killing a person's driver is an easy way to target them.

Rohit Pawar pointed out that former Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister and NCP Chief Ajit Pawar had changed plans, sparking speculation.

The crux of the suspicion lies in the final 24 hours before the crash. According to Rohit Pawar, a series of last-minute changes suggested a deviation from the original plan.

He claimed that Ajit Pawar was reportedly scheduled to travel from Mumbai to Pune by car the evening before the crash. The security convoy had already begun its manoeuvres, yet "Dada" (Ajit Pawar) never stepped into the vehicle.

He also claimed a high-stakes meeting with a "big leader" that may have altered his travel itinerary at the eleventh hour.

"Ajit Pawar's plane crash could be a part of the conspiracy. We also investigated some things about Ajit Pawar's accident. A book states that if you want to kill a person, the easiest way is to kill that person's driver. The day before the accident, Dada was supposed to come to Pune from Mumbai by car in the evening. At that time, the convoy had also started. But why did Dada not leave by car? Ajit Dada was supposed to meet a big leader," said Rohit Pawar.

Former Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar died in a plane crash on January 28 in Maharashtra's Baramati. According to DGCA, five people, including the crew, on board the chartered plane flying from Mumbai, Maharashtra, to Baramati, died after a crash-landing occurred at the runway threshold in Baramati.