FIR Filed Against 18 After Boat Capsizes in Vadodara, Resulting in Loss of 14 Lives
In a tragic incident that unfolded in Vadodara, Gujarat, 14 lives were lost and several others were injured when a boat capsized. The police wasted no time and filed an FIR against 18 individuals in connection with the incident. Among those booked for negligence were the manager and employees of Kotia Project, the private firm responsible for handling the boating activities in the Harni legzone.
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Preliminary investigations have revealed that the boat was overcrowded, exceeding its designated capacity. The vessel, which had a seating capacity of 14, was carrying a total of 27 people when the accident occurred. Shockingly, the passengers were not provided with life jackets, nor were they given any safety instructions.
The victims were part of a group of 80 individuals, including children and teachers from New Sunrise School in Waghodia. They had come for a school picnic on January 18. Among the deceased were 12 children, consisting of seven girls and five boys. Their names were Roshni Pankajbhai Shinde (10), Rutwi Pratik Shah (10), Jahabiya Mohammad Yunus Subedar (10), Sakina Sokat Abdulrasur (9), Alisabanu Mahamad Umar Kothariwala (9), Muvavza Mohamed Mahir Sheikh (8), Nancy Rahul Mali (8), Asiya Faruk Khalifa (11), Mohammad Ayan Mohammad Anis Gandhi (13), Vishv Kumar Kalpeshbhai Nizama (10), Altaf Hussain Mansoori (9), Ryan Harun Khalifa (10), and Farooq Khalifa (10). The two deceased teachers were Falguniben Manishbhai Patel (52) and Chhayaben Hitendrabhai Surti (56).
The Opposition has demanded a judicial inquiry into the incident, accusing the Vadodara Municipal Corporation of negligence. Ami Rawat, the Leader of Opposition in the Gujarat assembly, called for a thorough investigation by a sitting judge. She stated, “This was an act of murder, not an accident. In 2016, when this project was allotted to contractors, we had objected to it.”
Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel visited the injured victims in the hospital in Vadodara to express his condolences. Prime Minister Narendra Modi also condoled the loss of lives and announced an ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh each from the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund (PMNRF) to the families of the deceased and Rs 50,000 each to the injured. Additionally, the Gujarat government announced Rs 4 lakh each for the families of the deceased and Rs 50,000 each for the injured.
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President Droupadi Murmu also expressed her grief and offered her condolences to the bereaved families. She posted on her official X handle, “The news of the death of children and teachers in a boat accident in Vadodara, Gujarat is extremely sad. I express my deepest condolences to the bereaved family members and wish for the success of the rescue operation.”
(Note: Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
First Published: Jan 19, 2024 | 11:54 AM IST.
