Mumbai, March 28, 2026
Two months after the death of former Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar in a plane crash near Baramati, leaders of the NCP-SP and members of the late NCP leader’s family, on Saturday, paid their tribute, even as demands for a detailed probe continued to stir political tensions.
NCP-SP Working President Supriya Sule and party MLA Rohit Pawar shared messages on social media platform X, reflecting on the loss of the veteran NCP leader.
Sule, a cousin of Ajit Pawar, on X said, “It has been two months since our beloved Ajit Dada, the late Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister, left us. It still feels as though Dada is right here among us. We miss you, Dada.”
Rohit Pawar, Ajit Pawar’s nephew, said in an X post, “Two months of memories… this love and struggle will continue until the end,” and used the hashtag #JusticeForAjitDada, underlining his call for a deeper investigation into the air crash.
Maharashtra NCP Chief Sunil Tatkare also released a video message, recalling his association with Ajit Pawar and paying homage to the late leader.
Ajit Pawar’s son, Jay Pawar, visited his memorial at Vidya Pratisthan in Baramati and offered his tributes.
The aftermath of the air crash has been marked by political friction, with Rohit Pawar repeatedly alleging “foul play” in the incident.
Sule has echoed these concerns and recently raised the issue in the Lok Sabha.
Responding to the allegations in the State Assembly, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said, “My intensity regarding this matter may be different from yours, but it is not so blunt that we would let anyone go if a conspiracy was hatched in Ajit Dada’s case. We will dig out the truth, even if it means ‘unearthing the corpse’ (a metaphor for a relentless investigation). I support your efforts, but do not assume that others feel the gravity of this loss any less than you do.”
A jurisdictional dispute has also emerged over the investigation.
Fadnavis criticised the filing of an FIR in Karnataka, calling it ‘illegal’.
“Rohit Pawar met Lok Sabha Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi, who likely advised filing an FIR in Karnataka,” the Maharashtra Chief Minister said.
“Karnataka has no jurisdiction to file a ‘Zero FIR’ in this matter. A Zero FIR is only permissible when the victim is unable to file one; Karnataka simply does not have the legal standing in this case,” Fadnavis added.
He said that the Maharashtra government is following due process and criticised the Opposition for seeking legal recourse outside the state.
In the Lok Sabha on Friday, Sule demanded a time-bound inquiry into the crash during Question Hour.
“If a late Deputy Chief Minister of a state cannot get justice, what hope is there for others?” she asked, criticising the delay in registering a formal FIR.(Agency)
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