India-Laos relationship rooted in common heritage of Buddhism, Ramayana: EAM

Jabalpur, May 5 (IANS) In a significant development in the Bargi Dam cruise tragedy, a district court in Madhya Pradesh’s Jabalpur on Tuesday took suo motu cognisance of the incident that claimed 13 lives and directed the police to register an FIR against the boat driver and crew members, citing serious lapses in rescue efforts.

Judicial Magistrate D.P. Sutrakar said that the “failure” of the cruise boat driver and other crew members to attempt rescuing drowning passengers amounts to an attempt to commit culpable homicide.

The court instructed the Bargi police station to register the FIR within two days and report compliance.

The tragedy occurred on April 30 when a state tourism department-operated cruise boat capsized in the Bargi Dam reservoir.

Thirteen people, including women and a child, lost their lives, while 28 passengers were rescued.

The incident has triggered widespread concern over safety protocols and operational accountability.

In its order, the court noted that information gathered from media reports and social media indicated that the vessel was being operated improperly at the time of the accident.

It further said that the driver escaped unhurt without making any effort to save the passengers, leaving them to fend for themselves in the water.

The court said that such conduct falls under Sections 106 and 110 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, which deal with culpable homicide-related offences.

It warned that failure to initiate legal action could set a dangerous precedent, potentially encouraging similar negligence in the future.

“To prevent recurrence of such incidents and ensure accountability, the court is compelled to take suo motu cognisance and order registration of an FIR,” the court order said.

The court also commended individuals involved in rescuing victims, acknowledging their timely intervention.

Meanwhile, fresh concerns have emerged regarding the handling of the vessel after it was retrieved from the reservoir.

The cruise boat was reportedly cut into pieces after being salvaged, drawing objections from survivors who said that this has compromised crucial evidence.

Advocate Roshan Anand, one of the survivors who was onboard with nine members of his family, all of whom survived, raised serious questions about the decision to dismantle the vessel.

He said that once the cruise had been recovered, its engine and structural integrity should have undergone a detailed forensic examination.

“The vessel was around 20 years old. Its material quality, structural condition, and onboard safety mechanisms should have been thoroughly inspected. By cutting it apart, the possibility of examining these aspects has been eliminated,” Anand said.

He added that while the engine has been taken away for technical inspection, the destruction of the vessel’s body has made it impossible to assess whether any structural failure contributed to the accident.

Responding to the concerns, Bargi City Superintendent of Police (CSP) Anjul Ayank Mishra clarified that the vessel was cut open by teams from the SDRF and NDRF as part of a rescue protocol to ensure that no passengers were trapped inside.

He confirmed that the engine has been secured and handed over to a technical team for further examination.

The Madhya Pradesh government has already ordered a probe into the incident, but the court’s intervention is expected to intensify scrutiny on both operational negligence and post-incident handling of evidence.

As investigations proceed, the tragedy has once again highlighted the urgent need for stricter enforcement of safety standards and accountability mechanisms in water-based tourism activities.

–IANS

pd/khz

Imphal, June 20 (IANS) Hundreds of local people, family members, relatives and senior officials on Friday bid a tearful farewell to 26-year-old Lamnunthem Singson, one of the two Air India crew members from Manipur, who were killed in the horrifying Ahmedabad plane crash on June 12, in the state’s Kangpokpi district.

The mortal remains of Lamnunthem arrived in the hill district late Thursday evening from Ahmedabad via Nagaland’s Dimapur airport. Family sources said that her mortal remains were brought to Kangpokpi, avoiding Manipur’s capital, Imphal, due to the ongoing ethnic tension and security reasons.

In the presence of hundreds of people, including family members and community leaders, the funeral service began on Friday morning, and then her burial took place at the town cemetery at Kangpokpi in the afternoon. Lamnunthem’s body was flown from Ahmedabad to Dimapur in an IndiGo flight on Thursday and received by family members, community representatives, and officials at the airport.

On the way from Dimapur to Kangpokpi by road, the convoy halted several times as people and members from organisations, including Kuki and Naga bodies, bid her farewell and paid tribute to the departed soul.

Born on November 13, 1998, Lamnunthem was the only daughter of her widowed mother, Nemneilhing Singson and the third among four siblings. Her late father, Lienminlun Singson, had passed away a few years ago. Following the ethnic violence that devastated Manipur since May 2023, the family of Lamnunthem, who belonged to the tribal Kuki-Zo community, fled their ancestral home in Imphal’s Old Lambulane area and have since then lived in a rented house in Kangpokpi district.

Facing immense hardships, Lamnunthem emerged as the family’s sole breadwinner. Her eldest brother, Ngamlienthang, is battling a serious medical condition and is under treatment in Guwahati, while her youngest brother, Lenjathang, is still too young to work.

Officials in Imphal said that it has not yet been decided when the body of the other crew member, Kongbrailatpam Nganthoi Sharma (20), will be brought back to Imphal. Manipur Chief Secretary Prashant Kumar Singh earlier in a statement, said that the state government has conveyed to both the Tata Group and Air India that it is fully prepared to receive the mortal remains of the two brave crew members at Imphal.

He said that necessary arrangements have been made to ensure that their remains are treated with the highest dignity and respect, and subsequently transported safely to their respective homes. The Chief Secretary said that this is not just the loss of two lives, it is the silencing of dreams, the departure of daughters who brought pride to Manipur, and the extinguishing of two bright lights that once soared among the clouds.

“Their service and spirit would be remembered with honour and reverence,” Singh added.

Kongbrailatpam Nganthoi Sharma belonged to the non-tribal Meitei community and hailed from Manipur’s Thoubal district. Earlier, family members of Sharma went to Ahmedabad to complete the necessary formalities for getting the remains of their loved ones.

–IANS

sc/uk