6 arrested after 14 die in Guj picnic boat capsize

The Gujarat Police have arrested six people, including three promoters of the firm that was awarded the contract to develop and maintain the Harni lake as a tourist destination, a day after 14 people, including 12 schoolchildren and two teachers, died after a boat capsized in the water body in Vadodara on Thursday.

- Maulik Pathak

AHMEDABAD:  Senior police officials said that a special investigation team to probe the harrowing incident has also been formed, which will work in addition to the magisterial enquiry ordered by chief minister Bhupendra Patel on Wednesday.

Senior police officials said that it was becoming increasingly clear that there were multiple lapses on the part of the company "Kotia Project" responsible for operations and oversight in the tourist destination. "The boat, designed to accommodate 14 people, was egregiously overcrowded with more than 30 individuals, and, regrettably, safety jackets were not provided to everyone. Fortunately, the children and one teacher who did have the jackets survived," Anupam Singh Gahlaut, Vadodara commissioner of police, said.