Hotelier close to Sharad Pawar found hanging in Pune hotel

PUNE: Ajay Chordia, chairman of Panchshil Hotels Private Limited, allegedly committed suicide by hanging himself with a curtain from the fire extinguisher pipe on the 11th floor of the company-run Hotel Double Tree by Hilton at Chinchwad near Pune on Monday afternoon. The Pimpri police, who have registered a case of accidental death, said a suicide note was found on Ajay’s body.

Speaking to TOI, additional commissioner of police (north region) Prakash Mutyal said that Ajay, in the suicide note, has named a person whom he has accused of being responsible for the suicide.

The note does not contain details about any dispute between Ajay and the person named, he said. “We are verifying the contents of the note to ascertain any connection between the person named and the suicide,” he added. Ajay was the second son of Ishwardas Chordia, founder of the Panchshil Group. Ishwardas, who started the family’s real estate business over three decades ago, has close ties with Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar.

The company was dogged by controversies because of Panchshil Tech Park One, in which NCP chief Sharad Pawar’s daughter and MP Supriya Sule and her husband together owned about 8% shares. The records later showed that Supriya alone owned more than 9% shares.

Tech Park One was built on the same area where 2G-accused builder Shahid Balwa’s DB Realty built a business centre.