Vadodara: The Vadodara City Police Commissioner has constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the boat capsizing accident that occurred on Thursday in Harni Lake in the city, where 14 individuals, including 12 children and two teachers on a picnic, tragically lost their lives when a boat overturned.

The SIT, chaired by the Joint Commissioner of Police Manoj Ninama, comprises a total of seven police officers, including Panna Momaya (DCP, Zone-4, Vadodara City – Supervision Officer), Yuvrajsinh Jadeja (DCP – Crime – Supervision Officer), Harpalsinh Rathod (ACP, Crime Branch, Vadodara City – Investigating Officer), C B Tandel (PI, Harni Police Station, Vadodara City – Member), M F Chaudhari (PI, Crime Branch, Vadodara City – Member), and P M Dhakada (PSI, DCB. Post Sta., Vadodara City – Member).

The Vadodara Municipal Corporation has sealed all entry and exit points in the Harni Lake Zone. Food court shops have also been sealed, and since a crime has been registered, entry into the premises has been banned. Any individual entering the lake zone will face action.

A case has been registered at Harni police station against 18 individuals associated with M/s Kotia Project under Sections 304, 308, 337, 338, and 114 for negligence and carelessness. It’s worth mentioning that the main contractor, Paresh Shah, is not named in this FIR. Earlier, the Vadodara Crime Branch arrested three people in connection with the case and is currently on the lookout for 15 others.

Rajesh Chauhan, an executive engineer at VMC, stated in a complaint at Harni Police Station that the work order for the operation at Harni Lake Zone since 2017 was entrusted to M/s Kotia Project. This project encompasses various facilities such as rides, food and drinks, and boating, for which M/s Kotia Project bears full responsibility.

Chauhan further explained that around 4:30 p.m. yesterday, students from New Sunrise School came for a picnic at the lake. Approximately 25 students and four teachers were boating on the lake, and, to our knowledge, more people than the boat’s capacity were permitted to go boating. Some were even seated without wearing life jackets.

While the children and teachers were boating, the boat started swaying for some reason, causing water to fill the boat from the front. Eventually, due to the water, the boat lost balance and overturned in the lake, resulting in the tragic drowning incident of all the people on the boat. DeshGujarat