A day after the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) sought a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the plane crash that killed its chief, Ajit Pawar’s nephew and NCP (Sharad Pawar) MLA Rohit Pawar on Wednesday (February 18, 2026) alleged that the plane was loaded with extra fuel tanks, questioning why no action has been taken against VSR Aviation company.
The Karjat MLA also demanded the setting up of a committee, consisting Leader of Opposition (LoP) Rahul Gandhi and Pawar family members, to monitor the ongoing investigation.
“The high-intensity explosion occurred during the crash due to illegal fuel tanks. The fuel tank was full, and two more tanks were kept in the plane, acting as a bomb. Why do you want to have so many fuel tanks to fly to Baramati? The refilling could have been done in Hyderabad as well,” Mr. Pawar said, adding that small things are forcing us to question whether this is an accident or a conspiracy.
Pointing out the delay in the investigation, Mr. Pawar said, “The order for an investigation was issued on February 2, and the forensic people reached the spot late in the evening on January 28. How the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DCGA) investigates when there are discrepancies in the VSR’s operations. 20 days have gone by, and why is there no preliminary report out? They are protecting VSR and the brains behind it. We were checking why there is no action on the VSR company.”
Mr. Pawar further raised concerns over the whereabouts of VSR Venture’s owner, V.K. Singh, and his son, Rohit Singh. He alleged that Rohit Singh, who is in Miami, left India after the accident and should have been detained for questioning.
“Powerful people are purposely protecting VSR as several Ministers of the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and other parties are close to them,” he said, adding that this is why international agencies should be appointed with a monitoring committee having Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, Pawar family members, MPs, and a Judge on the panel.
Following the demise of the former president of the NCP, Ajit Pawar, in a plane crash on January 28, questions surrounding the circumstances of the accident have intensified, with Rohit Pawar and other leaders expressing scepticism.
Earlier on February 10, Rohit Pawar presented a PowerPoint briefing on the accident, outlining alleged inconsistencies in the sequence of events, concerns over DCGA’s probe, and action against the VSR company. He also raised doubts on the DCGA’s investigation, saying, “They made a blunder right from mentioning the wrong model number of the Learjet 45 aircraft.”
Poor maintenance of VSR planes
Mr. Pawar alleged that VSR has poorly maintained their aircraft, jeopardising the lives of VVIP and other passengers travelling on them. He pointed out that the company is manipulating the documents to connect the dots and put up a tight picture of no discrepancies at the company level.
“DCGA was unaware of the flight plans of Ajit Pawar; the flight plans were changed. Now, VSR is trying to align all the paperwork. One should ask for digital evidence, where the papers were signed under the CCTV,” he said.
Mr. Pawar also highlighted the discrepancies in the operation of VSR, citing why the flight took off when visibility was below the norms of DCGA, and why the decision of flying back to Mumbai was not taken. He raised concerns over the registration of the plane and certification of air worthiness, the hours completed by the plane, accusing VSR of operating planes on worn-out engines. “As per the DCGA, the total hours the flight completed were 4,915 hours, and only 85 hours were left. However, we believe the machine completed 8,000 hours. Honeywell company, who has designed the engine, has been reluctant to give the data. I request DCGA to also investigate this.”
“Technically, the black box can be damaged at 1100 degrees Celsius for one hour, which is again installed under the Aluminium covering, which has a melting point of 645 degrees Celsius, so how is it possible that part of it is burned? According to norms, two hours of recording is required; only 30 minutes were done. Why the violations? Where are the accountable managers and safety officials, who are appointed after DCGA interviews them? Have DCGA interrogated them?” he further questioned.
The NCP(SP) leader also touched upon the insurance angle, saying, “The insurance value of the plane has been 55 crore, and liability insurance is 210 crore. The purchasing price was 35 crore, and the sale value has been 10-15 crores.”
Published – February 18, 2026 02:57 pm IST
