Congress leader Ami Rawat on Friday said that the Vadodara boat capsize incident was an act of murder and not an accident. Seeking probe by a sitting judge, Rawat demanded criminal proceedings to be initiated against those found guilty.
"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." Rawat told the news agency ANI
According to ANI, a case has been registered against 18 people in connection with the death of 12 students and 2 teachers in Vadodara boat capsize incident. Rawat who is Leader of Opposition in Vadodara Municipal Corporation further said that she had always opposed to the incident.
Speaking to PTI, Rawat said, "It's an unfortunate incident. As an opposition leader, I have always opposed this project. There were a lot of corrupt practices in it, and outright favouritism towards contractors during the PPP projects. Projects were developed to favour those close to the ruling party. We opposed it and demanded the corporation to take charge of this project. But influential people were involved, and due to differences between the ruling party, administration, no action was taken on this,"
The Harni Police Station in Vadodara City, in a press note dated January 18, has informed the public of a case registered against Messrs Kotia Project. The charges include gross negligence and recklessness that led to the boat accident at Harni Lake.
The accident occurred when students and teachers from New Sunrise School in Vadodara, boarded a boat managed by Messrs Kotia Project. It is alleged that the staff allowed more than the actual capacity of passengers aboard without ensuring the boat was in proper condition or equipped with life jackets and other emergency equipment.