In a devastating incident on Thursday, a boat carrying school children on a trip capsized in Harni Motnath Lake on the outskirts of Vadodara, Gujarat. The tragic accident claimed the lives of 14 students and two teachers, while 18 students and two teachers were fortunate enough to be rescued.
The incident happened during the afternoon as the New Sunrise School students and teachers, who were on a picnic, embarked on a boat provided by the Lake Zone boating facility at Harni Lake. This facility is overseen by Kotia Projects, a private company, under a Public-Private Partnership arrangement with the Vadodara Municipal Corporation. This collaboration was established as part of a beautification initiative in 2016.
On Friday, the police registered a case against 18 individuals in connection with the incident, and two people have already been arrested. In addition, an FIR has been filed against the M/s Kotia Projects at the Harni police station, citing violations under IPC Sections 304 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder), 308 (attempt to culpable homicide), and 337 (rash or negligent act endangering human life).
Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, along with Home Minister Harsh Sanghvi, visited the SSG Hospital in Vadodara to meet the victims and their families. Chief Minister Patel has ordered a high-level inquiry into the accident and demanded a report from the District Magistrate within 10 days.
Minister Harsh Sanghvi highlighted that only 10 students were wearing life jackets, indicating a serious lapse in safety measures by the operators. According to Vadodara DM AB Gaur, the boat’s capacity was 16, but it had 34 people on board at the time of the accident.
In response to the tragic incident, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has declared an ex-gratia payment of Rs 2 lakh for the families of the deceased and Rs 50,000 for those injured. Expressing his sorrow over the loss of lives in the boat capsizing at Harni Lake in Vadodara, he tweeted, “Distressed by the loss of lives due to a boat capsizing at the Harni Lake in Vadodara. My thoughts are with the bereaved families in this hour of grief. May the injured recover soon. The local administration is providing all possible assistance to those affected.”
The Vadodara Congress leader, Ami Rawat, expressed strong condemnation, stating, “We are not treating it as an accident but as a case of murder. We request the judge to investigate this matter. This is a case of complete negligence. There were no life jackets or lifeguards on the sunken boat. The culprits should be prosecuted. In 2016, when this project was handed over to contractors, we objected to it.”
