Ajit Pawar’s son shares video of VSR Ventures owner sleeping in cockpit

Pune: Jay Pawar, son of Maharashtra’s late Deputy CM Ajit Pawar, has shared a purported video on social media alleging that VSR Ventures owner Rohit Singh was seen dozing off in the chief pilot’s seat during a flight, and demanded his immediate arrest.

He also demanded that all aircraft of VSR Ventures be grounded till the inquiry into his father’s plane crash is completed.

VSR Ventures operated the Learjet 45 aircraft which crashed on January 28 with Ajit Pawar and four others on board at Baramati in Pune district.

Sharing the clip on a social media platform, Jay Pawar on Sunday stated, “We lost our father...this pain will stay with us for a lifetime. In this video, Rohit Singh, owner of VSR, is seen asleep in the chief pilot’s seat during the flight. Such negligence while the aircraft is in the air is unacceptable. This is extremely serious and shocking.”

He demanded that the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) take immediate and strict action in the matter. “All VSR aircraft must be grounded with immediate effect until a complete investigation is conducted, and Rohit Singh should be arrested without delay and subjected to stringent legal action. This is a son’s anguished appeal...for my father and for the safety of every passenger,” he said.

The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) on Saturday released the preliminary report on the plane crash and said the visibility at the time of the crash was below the required level. It flagged fading marks on the runway among others.