A case has been registered against 18 people in connection with the death of 12 students and 2 teachers in the Vadodara boat capsize incident, ANI reported.
The Harni Police Station in Vadodara City, in a recent press note dated January 18, has informed the public of a case registered against Messrs Kotia Project. The charge pertains to gross negligence and recklessness linked to a boat accident at Harni Lake.
The incident occurred when students and teachers from New Sunrise School in Vadodara, out on a picnic, boarded a boat managed by Messrs Kotia Project. The staff allowed an overcapacity of passengers aboard without ensuring the boat was in proper condition or equipped with safety gear such as life jackets and other emergency equipment. Critical safety instructions were also reportedly not conveyed to the passengers.
This oversight led to the boat being overloaded. Consequentially, a severe accident resulted in the loss of 12 students and 2 teachers, with others sustaining injuries. The Harni Police has initiated legal proceedings against the operators under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code. The charges include causing harm and endangering human lives.
The Harni Police has urged anyone with video or photographic evidence of the tragic event to come forward and provide it to authorities. The objective is to gather comprehensive evidence to aid in delivering justice to the affected families. The investigation is ongoing.
Leela Patil, DCP Vadodara, told ANI, "A boat carrying children capsized in Harni Motnath Lake. 14 people have died in this incident. A case has been registered. The post-mortem of the bodies is underway..."
"12 school children and two teachers died in the incident. 20 people were rescued and 14 people died. To ensure justice for them, the Chief Minister has ordered a strong inquiry and IPC sections 304, 308 and 114 have been invoked against the accused. Two accused have been nabbed and a magisterial inquiry has been handed over to Vadodara District Collector," Gujarat Home Minister Harsh Sanghavi told ANI.
We are considering this as an act of murder, not an accident. We demand that a sitting judge should probe this incident. It is a sheer act of negligence. No life jackets or lifeguards were present in the boat. Criminal proceedings should be initiated against those found responsible. In 2016, when this project was allotted to contractors, we had raised an objection to it," said Ami Rawat, LoP & Congress leader, Vadodara Municipal Corporation.
Six people have been arrested and 18 booked over Thursday’s drownings of 12 schoolchildren and two teachers when an overloaded boat capsized in a Vadodara lake while they were on a picnic. Those arrested over the tragedy included three partners and a manager of Kotia Projects — the firm contracted to run the boats at the Harni Lake — apart from boatmen Nayan Gohil and Ankit Vasava.
