A week after an overloaded boat capsized in the Brahmaputra in Dhubri district in western Assam,killing several people,the police have arrested Syed Ali Bepari,the owner of the boat,as well as three others including its driver. Official sources in Dhubri said that Bepari,who had gone into hiding since the boat met with the tragic accident with an estimated 350 persons on board,was picked up by the police following a tip-off by some villagers. The three others who were arrested included Golapuddin Sheikh,the driver of the ill-fated boat. The boat Paanch-bhai was built and registered with the authorities way back in 1996. Since then it had never undergone any major inspection,and the licence was not renewed as required under the rules. The Indian Express had reported that while there were innumerable boats plying on the Brahmaputra in Dhubri district without any valid permit or licence,only 29 boats had either renewed their permits or had obtained fresh permits between 2005 and 2012. The ill-fated boat that was sailing from Dhubri to Medertari across the Brahmaputra on April 30,was caught in a severe storm in the middle of the river,following which it cracked and sank. The authorities are yet to ascertain exactly how many persons were on board on that boat on that fateful journey. Only 39 bodies have been recovered so far. Spying: Cops want harsher charges on Madhuri Gupta The Delhi Police on Tuesday moved the Delhi High Court for slapping of a more stringent spying charge,entailing a 14-year jail term,on suspended Indian diplomat Madhuri Gupta,in place of the milder one,framed by the trial court and carrying only a three-year term. In a petition,the Special Cell of the Delhi Police sought modification of the trial court order and sought framing of charges under Sections 3(1)(Part-I ) of the Officials Secret Act. In its plea,the police said the information allegedly passed by Gupta to her Pakistani links through emails pertained to the countrys defence and compromised with national security,and the trial court framed charges against her barely under Section 3(1)(Part-II) of the OS Act,carrying merely a three-year jail term on conviction.
