The Bihar government on Friday suspended Raghopur Circle Officer Deepak Kumar from his post following the deaths of 14 children in a boat capsize in the Ganga river within the Vaishali district on October 13.
The disciplinary action was directed by Vaishali District Magistrate Varsha Singh on October 15. Prior to the suspension, the local administration had withheld the salaries of both Kumar and the local station house officer, while also demanding formal explanations from them regarding the circumstances of the tragedy.
With Kumar removed from his duties, Patepur Circle Officer Prabhat Kumar has been assigned the additional charge of the Raghopur circle to prevent any disruption in administrative operations.
The fatal incident took place at approximately 8:30 pm. The victims, all under 15 years of age with 13 belonging to a single family, were crossing the river alongside other residents to attend a village feast on the opposing bank. Officials noted that the vessel was carrying roughly 15 to 20 people, though the precise passenger manifest remained undetermined. Emergency rescue operations were deployed utilizing local divers alongside members of the State Disaster Response Force.
Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary expressed his condolences over the fatalities and committed an ex gratia payment of Rs 4 lakh to the family of every child who lost their life. In a statement on social media, the Chief Minister described the loss of innocent lives in Raghopur as deeply distressing and heartbreaking, offering sympathies to the affected families and praying for strength during their time of grief.
Rashtriya Janata Dal leader Tejashwi Yadav, who serves as the representative for the Raghopur Assembly constituency, stated that he had consulted with the district administration to receive updates on the situation. He directed officials to accelerate rescue efforts and indicated plans to visit the bereaved families following his return from Delhi. In a social media message, Yadav also lamented the distressing nature of the accident in the Raghopur Diara area where the majority of the drowning victims were children.