It was purely an accident, said an emotional Sharad Pawar, ruling out any conspiracy in the plane crash that killed his nephew Ajit Pawar on Wednesday morning.
Ajit Pawar's aircraft, a Bombardier Learjet 45 operated by private firm VSR Aviation, was en route from Mumbai to Ajit Pawar's home city, Baramati, when it crash-landed and burst into flames in an open field near the runway. Television footage showed smoke rising from the wreckage.
"There's no conspiracy involved; it's purely an accident. Maharashtra has suffered a huge loss with the passing of Ajit Pawar. A capable leader has left us today. Maharashtra has lost a great personality today. This loss can never be compensated," Sharad Pawar said in his first comments on the tragedy.