Patna, Oct 14 — Several leaders from Bihar’s ruling and opposition parties visited Raghopur in Vaishali district following the boat capsizing incident that claimed 13 children’s lives.
Meanwhile, the district administration has sought explanations from the Raghopur Circle Officer (CO) and Station House Officer (SHO) over possible lapses in safety arrangements and ordered that their salaries be withheld until further notice.
The private boat capsized near Rampur Shyamchand Panchayat at around 8:30 pm on Tuesday.
The 13 deceased children included nine girls and four boys.
Six other people—two adults and four children—were rescued and taken to Nalanda Medical College Hospital (NMCH) in Patna for treatment.
Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Bijendra Prasad Yadav, accompanied by Minister Ramkripal Yadav, visited the affected families and assured them that appropriate action would be taken.
Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai also visited the accident site and met the bereaved families.
He described the incident as deeply tragic and expressed condolences to those who lost their loved ones.
Rai prayed for peace for the departed souls and strength for the grieving families to cope with their loss.
RJD MP from Pataliputra, Misa Bharti, visited Raghopur and met the affected families.
Speaking to the media, she described the tragedy as a failure of the government and criticised the district administration over alleged shortcomings in rescue operations and medical facilities.
RJD National Working President and Raghopur MLA Tejashwi Yadav also called for a high-level inquiry into the incident.
He said he and party workers had been in contact with officials since Tuesday night and alleged that NDRF and SDRF teams had not reached the spot when his party’s team first arrived.
Tejashwi said he had spoken to the Principal Secretary of the Disaster Management Department and the District Magistrate.
He also raised concerns about reports that some bodies were still missing and demanded substantial financial assistance for the affected families, arguing that the announced compensation of Rs 4 lakh per deceased person was insufficient.
Union Minister Chirag Paswan visited the bereaved families and expressed condolences.
He said he would convey details of the incident to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Bihar Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary.
Paswan said officials had been instructed to conduct a thorough inspection of boats, including their safety, passenger capacity and the availability of essential safety equipment.
He added that anyone found responsible for negligence would face action.
He described the incident in Raghopur Diyara as a tragedy that had deeply shaken the community.
Bihar Health Minister Nishant Kumar visited Nalanda Medical College and Hospital (NMCH) to meet the children rescued from the accident.
He said 13 people had died and six survivors had been brought to the hospital.
Three children were admitted and are receiving treatment, he said, adding that an inquiry had been ordered.
Vaishali District Magistrate Varsha Singh said the six survivors—two adults and four children—had been rescued safely and were undergoing treatment at NMCH.
She said the administration had responded immediately after receiving information about the accident.
"The boat was privately registered, and action would be taken against its owner and those involved in its operation," she added.
Following the incident, the district administration intensified its response and sought explanations from the Raghopur CO and SHO over possible negligence in safety arrangements.
The salaries of both officials have been withheld until further orders while the administration examines the circumstances surrounding the accident.
The District Magistrate visited the site, reviewed the rescue operation and directed officials to expedite the efforts and ensure proper medical care for survivors.
SDRF teams continued search and rescue operations in the area.
The administration is also examining the circumstances in which the private boat was operating at night, including questions surrounding passenger safety and the boat’s capacity.
Further action will depend on the findings of the inquiry.