Pune

A distant relative of late Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar has claimed that the NCP leader spoke to him over the phone just minutes before the chartered aircraft he was travelling in crashed at Baramati airport, killing him and four others.

Shreejit Pawar, who described himself as a distant nephew of Ajit Pawar, on Tuesday played what he said was an audio recording of the call. He claimed he had messaged the NCP chief seeking representation for the Mali community in the upcoming Zilla Parishad elections.

According to Shreejit Pawar, he sent the message at 8.19 am while Ajit Pawar was on board the aircraft. “As soon as the aircraft came into network range, he called me at 8.37 am, just a few minutes before the crash,” he said.

Ajit Pawar and four others died when the chartered aircraft crashed on January 28, barely 200 metres from the edge of the tabletop runway at Baramati airport in Pune district.

In the purported recording, Ajit Pawar is heard saying that he always tried to take all communities along. Shreejit Pawar said the conversation reflected the leader’s inclusive approach.

During the call, Ajit Pawar is also purportedly heard referring to the appointment of Digambar Durgade, who belongs to the Mali community, as chairman of the Pune District Central Co-operative Bank Ltd, and stating that a Zilla Parishad ticket had already been allotted to a candidate from the community in a Baramati group.

Meanwhile, the Civil Aviation Ministry, in a statement issued on January 28, said the aircraft first established contact with Baramati air traffic control (ATC) at 8.18 am after being released by Pune approach at 30 nautical miles inbound to Baramati.

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The crew later reported that the runway was not in sight and initiated a go-around. During the second attempt, the crew informed ATC that the runway was in sight and was cleared to land at 8.43 am. However, the mandatory readback was not received, and at 8.44 am, ATC personnel observed flames near the runway threshold.