Vadodara boat tragedy: Partner of lake maintenance firm held; 7 so far

Vadodara: Police on Tuesday arrested Bineet Kotia, a partner in the firm responsible for handling the recreation zone of Harni lake near Vadodara, days after 12 students and two teachers lost their lives in a boat capsize tragedy, an officer said.

The fresh arrest took the number of the persons in police custody so far to seven, including three partners of Kotia Projects and its manager.

Bineet Kotia was arrested from his shop by the city police, said Deputy Commissioner of Police Panna Momaya.

"Bineet Kotia was named in the FIR registered by Harni police after the boat tragedy on January 18. He holds a 5 per cent stake in Kotia Projects while his father holds a 20 per cent share. Bineet was on the run after the incident," said Momaya, adding that efforts are on to nab others.

Speaking about the investigation, the police officer said experts from the Forensic Science Laboratory on Tuesday inspected the boat involved in the lake incident.

Police also collected relevant information from the company which had sold this boat to the contractor, Momaya added.

As many as 12 students and two teachers of New Sunrise School on a picnic drowned, while 18 students and two teachers were rescued after an overloaded boat capsized in Motnath Lake on the city’s outskirts on January 18.

Six persons, including three partners of Kotia Projects - Bhimsingh Yadav, Vedprakash Yadav and Rashmikant Prajapati, manager of the firm Shantilal Solanki, and boat operators - Nayan Gohil and Ankit Vasava- were arrested earlier.

In its complaint, the Vadodara civic body pointed out lapses, including non-maintenance of boats by Kotia Projects which was responsible for maintaining the lakefront, and not keeping the adequate number of life-saving equipment and life jackets, on the part of the contractor.

It was also revealed that only a few students were given life jackets on the day of the incident.

According to officials, Kotia Projects had sub-let the contract for boating activities to another company, and that the boat operator had no prior experience.

Police had registered an FIR under sections 304 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) and 308 (attempt to commit culpable homicide) of the Indian Penal Code against 18 persons, including the seven who have been arrested so far.

The Gujarat High Court has directed the state government to submit an action taken report (ATR) on the death of students and teachers in the boat tragedy, observing that it has “shocked the conscience” of the public.