6 arrested after 14 die in Gujarat picnic boat capsize
Senior police officials said that a special investigation team to probe the harrowing incident has also been formed
The Gujarat Police have arrested six people, including three promoters of the firm that was awarded the contract to develop and maintain the Harni lake as a tourist destination, a day after 14 people including twelve school children and two teachers died after a boat capsized in the water body in Vadodara on Thursday evening.
Senior police officials said that a special investigation team to probe the harrowing incident has also been formed, which will work in addition to the magisterial enquiry ordered by chief minister Bhupendra Patel on Wednesday.
Senior police officials said that it was becoming increasingly clear that there were multiple lapses on the part of the company “Kotia Project” responsible for operations and oversight in the tourist destination.
On Friday, Gahlaut ordered the formation of a special investigation team, headed by Joint Commissioner of Police, Manoj Ninama to look for the remaining 12 accused, who have been named in the FIR lodged at Harni police station late on Thursday.
The order constituting the SIT states that the team has been formed to “conduct a deep inquiry into all aspects of the case and also ensure that all (18) accused are arrested in the case at the earliest”. The case has also been transferred from Harni police station to the Crime Branch.
The three arrested partners of the firm include Bhimsing Yadav (42), Rashmikant Prajapati (51) and Vedprakash Yadav (55).
The other three accused are two boatmen and one person who was part of the managerial staff of “Lake Zone.”
Kotia Project is a Vadodara-based partnership firm which was in 2017 awarded work to develop Harni Lake on a public-private partnership basis by the Vadodara Municipal Corporation (VMC).
As per the terms of the agreement, Kotia Project was to invest, finance, design, engineer, construct, equip, commission, operate, market, maintain and manage the Lake Zone project for a concession period of 30 years.
The Harni Lake was redeveloped and opened to the public in 2019.
