Speedboat capsize: Fishermen’s body seeks FIR against MLC

A senior police officer said they are enquiring into the incident and checking the paperwork to ascertain if it was a bonafide mistake or negligence on the part of someone that led to the incident.

The letter said that the speedboat was being driven recklessly without following other boats, resulting in the accident. “It is unfortunate that only 6-8 life jackets and no life rings were available on the boat, and as such there was a lapse in the safety precautions on the part of the boat owner, master of the boat and the person who invited his workers for the function. They are liable to be prosecuted for gross negligence,” it said.

The private, air-conditioned speedboat named MRM1 was carrying visitors to the site of the proposed Shivaji Memorial statue in the Arabian Sea off Mumbai’s Marine Drive when it hit a rocky surface underwater and began to flood.

The Public Works Department had organised the function at the site of the statue to mark the commencement of work Wednesday.

The passengers on board were mostly members of Shiv Sangram and a few government officials.

Shiv Sangram is a Maratha organisation that has been championing the cause of the Chhatrapati Shivaji statue for several years.

Tandel said there was no need to have the function at all as Prime Minister Narendra Modi had already carried out a ‘jal poojan’ for the memorial in 2016. Mete was not available for comment.