Sunetra Pawar demands CBI investigation into Ajit Pawar plane crash, meets CM Devendra Fadnavis
According to a report by the agency probing the plane crash involving Ajit Pawar, both flight recorders on board were destroyed in the fire. Ajit Pawar and four others were killed when the Learjet aircraft crashed near the Baramati airstrip in Pune district on January 28.
The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) has formally demanded a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) inquiry into the plane crash involving former Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar. To press the demand, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Sunetra Pawar today met Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and sought a comprehensive and independent investigation into the incident.
Speaking after the meeting, NCP (Ajit Pawar faction) Maharashtra president Sunil Tatkare said senior leaders, including National Working President Praful Patel, ministers Hasan Mushrif and Parth Pawar, had met the Chief Minister to seek a comprehensive probe.
"We have requested the Chief Minister to have this entire incident investigated by the CBI. The Chief Minister has assured us that the state government will write to the Union Home Minister and take the necessary steps to pursue a CBI investigation," Tatkare said.
AAIB's preliminary findings
Meanwhile, major developments have emerged in the investigation into the plane crash involving former Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar. The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB), which is probing the incident, has revealed that both voice recorders on board the aircraft were destroyed in the post-crash fire.
The crash involved a Learjet 45 aircraft (registration VT-SSK), which went down on January 28, 2026, that killed Ajit Pawar and four others last month near Baramati in Pune district.
According to the AAIB's preliminary findings, both voice recorders on board the aircraft were destroyed in the post-crash fire.
In an official statement, the AAIB said that the investigation is being carried out strictly in accordance with established regulations and international aviation standards. The agency emphasised that the probe will remain fully impartial and evidence-based.
The AAIB has also appealed to the public and media not to indulge in speculation, urging everyone to wait for verified and official information as the investigation progresses.
Ajit Pawar's death
Ajit Pawar died in a chartered plane crash while travelling from Mumbai to Bramanti on January 28. The 66-year-old leader was the nephew of veteran politician and NCP founder Sharad Pawar, and the cousin of Lok Sabha MP Supriya Sule. He was also the longest-serving Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra non-consecutively.
He served in the position for six terms within various governments. He had worked as Deputy Chief Minister in the cabinets of Prithviraj Chavan, Devendra Fadnavis, Uddhav Thackeray and Eknath Shinde. He is survived by his wife, Sunetra Pawar, and two sons, Jay and Parth Pawar.
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