Vadodara boat tragedy: Will visit Ram Temple in Ayodhya only when all accused brought to book, says corporator
Ashish Joshi, Corporator of Ward number 15, has demanded penal action against officers of the VMC, who, he said, "should have inspected and supervised" the boating facility at stipulated intervals.
Ashish Joshi is the Corporator of the ward where the school is located. (Express File Photo)
Even as the Special Investigation Team (SIT) of Vadodara police gathers evidence amid a deepening probe into the Harni boat tragedy that killed 12 schoolchildren and two teachers on Thursday, a BJP corporator of the Vadodara Municipal Corporation (VMC) has taken a pledge to put off his visit to the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya “until justice is delivered” in the case. Ashish Joshi, Corporator of Ward number 15, has demanded penal action against officers of the VMC, who, he said, “should have inspected and supervised” the boating facility at stipulated intervals.
On Sunday, Joshi took to social media and expressed his “grief at the loss of 14 lives, including many children” while also taking the “moral responsibility” for the mishap. Joshi, who is the corporator of the VMC ward where the New Sunrise School is located, said that he “felt guilty being part of the system” that could “not provide a safe picnic spot to the innocent”. Ward number 15 is also where most of the victims of the tragedy resided.
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A first-time corporator, Joshi stated that the VMC officials, who should have been responsible for checking the fitness certificate of the boats and other safety measures should be suspended. “I have decided that I will visit the Ram Temple in Ayodhya only when the people whose names are in the FIR, as well as other irresponsible persons, are brought to book as per the penal law… The officials of the VMC, who have slacked in their duty of inspection and supervision should be suspended and even booked in the case, as it was done after the Morbi bridge collapse when civic body officials were also accused in the case. I am saying this as the representative of the people who have become victims of the system,” he said.
Breaking down during the conversation with The Indian Express, Joshi said that he felt a “moral guilt” when the administration entrusted him with the task of gathering Aadhar card numbers and bank account details of the deceased for the direct transfer of compensation announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi as well as the state government, amounting to Rs 6 lakh per victim.
“I am the corporator of the Ward where most of the deceased resided and the school is also located here. After the incident, the party entrusted me with the task of making phone calls to families to seek Aadhar numbers and bank account details for immediate transfer of compensation… They were inconsolable and angry. Each one of them told me that Rs 6 lakh or Rs 6 crore… no compensation can fill the vacuum that they would feel for their life after losing their innocent children. It burdened my conscience… I have not slept peacefully, knowing that justice needs to be done,” Joshi said.
He added that he had decided to put off his visit to the Ram Temple in Ayodhya because Maharaja Sayajirao Gaekwad III had “settled” the boatmen’s community — which are known to have sailed Lord Rama’s boat in the Ganges– in the erstwhile Baroda state.
“Maharaja Sayajirao III had settled the boatmen’s community of Kevats, Machchis, and Kahars. The Kevat community had helped Lord Ram’s boat (cross the River Ganga). Being a citizen and a corporator of this city, if we fail to safely sail a boat comprising children, I cannot muster the courage to face Lord Ram at his temple… We speak of the Smart City project but it is a shame that we were not able to provide one safe boat for little children of this city. We are morally responsible for this,” the BJP corporator said.
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Adding that he would make aggressive representations to have the VMC officials held liable, Joshi, further stressed, “I believe that the lives of the children who have been killed were above the party I belong to… I will put forth my point before the party as well and make aggressive petitions for the officers concerned to be booked as accused… I do not mind if the party shows me the door because I am a human being first and I will stand with the families who are seeking justice.”
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
