This is an archive article published on February 16, 2024
Harni accident: SIT reconstructs fatal ride, boat sinks during buoyancy test
Thursday saw the Special Investigation Team (SIT) of the Vadodara Police reconstructing the boat ride, bringing in sandbags to conduct a "buoyancy test", under the watchful eyes of police officers and experts of the forensic department.
Written by Aditi Raja
Vadodara | Updated: February 16, 2024 03:03 AM IST
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The SIT reconstructs the accident with sandbags loaded to match the weight of boat that capsized on January 18, in Vadodara on Thursday. Bhupendra Rana
The boat that capsized at the Lake Zone in Harni last month, killing 12 students and two teachers, was taken out for a ride again at the lake on Thursday, and sank again. But this time, it did not have children and teachers as passengers. Instead, it was maneuvered by a fire officer carrying sandbags to equal the weight of 30 passengers, who were riding the boat on January 18 when it capsized.
Thursday saw the Special Investigation Team (SIT) of the Vadodara Police reconstructing the boat ride, bringing in sandbags to conduct a “buoyancy test”, under the watchful eyes of police officers and experts of the forensic department.
With an uneven distribution of about 1,200 kg of weight, including 250 kg on the deck, the police recreated the scene of how water seeped into the boat while it was navigating a roundabout and caused it to overturn. On January 18 as well, the total weight on the boat during the ride was about 1,200 kg, of which 250 kg were on the deck.
Inspector C B Tandel from Harni police station said, “We took the boat out for a ride, carrying the exact weight that it was carrying on January 18. We placed sandbags in places where passengers were made to sit… The operators had added 250 kg of weight on the deck, which should be left vacant to ensure buoyancy. It had caused the boat to become unstable while navigating a turn…”
Tandel said a detailed report will be submitted by the forensic experts a few days later. The police investigation has already said that the children had panicked after water had seeped into the boat and at least 15 passengers were not wearing life jackets.
The SIT, meanwhile, on Thursday arrested three more accused in the case – Nutan Shah, Vatsal Shah and Vaishakhi Shah – family members of co-accused Paresh Shah, who is currently in judicial custody.
Paresh, who was in charge of day-to-day operations at Lake Zone, is a partner at Kotia Projects that was given the contract by the Vadodara Municipal Corporation to develop and operate Lake Zone at Harni. With this, 19 people have been arrested in the case.
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Deputy Commissioner of Police (Zone 4) Panna Momaya, a supervising officer of the SIT, said: “The family had begun facing trouble as the police had initiated the process to freeze their bank accounts. On Thursday, after receiving a tip-off that they were arriving in Vadodara to consult a doctor for Nutan Shah, we arrested them from Dena Chowkdi.”
“While Nutan and Vaishakhi are partners having 5 per cent share in Kotia Projects, Vatsal Shah has a 10 per cent partnership… Vatsal is also a signatory in the contract signed for the boat operations (sub-let to co-accused Nilesh Jain),” she added.
Maintaining that the family had been evading arrest and hiding in Rajasthan and Bharuch, Momaya said: “For the last four days, they were in Bharuch and earlier, in Rajasthan. We have also begun the process to attach the properties and freeze bank accounts of the last accused in the case, Dharmin Bhatani, who is yet to be arrested.”
Aditi Raja is an Assistant Editor with The Indian Express, stationed in Vadodara, Gujarat, with over 20 years in the field. She has been reporting from the region of Central Gujarat and Narmada district for this newspaper since 2013, which establishes her as a highly Authoritative and Trustworthy source on regional politics, administration, and critical socio-economic and environmental issues.
Expertise:
Core Authority & Specialization: Her reporting is characterized by a comprehensive grasp of the complex factors shaping Central Gujarat, which comprises a vast tribal population, including:
Politics and Administration: In-depth analysis of dynamics within factions of political parties and how it affects the affairs in the region, visits of national leaders making prominent statements, and government policy decisions impacting the population on ground.
Crucial Regional Projects: She consistently reports on the socio-economic and political impact of infrastructure projects in the region, especially the Statue of Unity, the Sardar Sarovar Project on the Narmada River, the Mumbai-Ahmedabad High Speed Rail bullet train project as well as the National Highway infrastructure.
Social Justice and Human Rights: Her reporting offers deep coverage of sensitive human-interest topics, including gender, crime, and tribal issues. Her reports cover legal proceedings from various district courts as well as the Gujarat High Court (e.g., the Bilkis Bano case remission, POCSO court orders, Public Interest Litigations), the plight of tribal communities, and broader social conflicts (e.g., Kheda flogging case).
Local Impact & Disaster Reporting: Excels in documenting the immediate impact of events on communities, such as the political and civic fallout of the Vadodara floods, the subsequent public anger, and the long-delayed river redevelopment projects, Harni Boat Tragedy, Air India crash, bringing out a blend of stories from the investigations as well as human emotions.
Special Interest Beat: She tracks incidents concerning Non-Resident Gujaratis (NRIs) including crime and legal battles abroad, issues of illegal immigration and deportations, as well as social events connecting the local Gujarati experience to the global diaspora. ... Read More
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