TURA: The tragic boat mishap on the Sabang river between Garo Hills and Assam on Sunday evening which took the lives of ten people, including five children, has failed to evoke any remorse from the chief guest of the boat competition and Naguapara MDC Dormonath Ch Sangma who has issued a statement claiming that the victims were not participants of the boat race but spectators who came to witness the show.
In a statement issued to the media on Wednesday, the Naguapara MDC of the Garo Hills Autonomous District Council (GHADC) displayed lack of remorse for the lives lost when he stated in his clarification that the “precious lives lost were not the participants of the Boat Race but were only mostly children that came to see the same and meet with the tragic incident.”
He went on to add that the site of the tragedy fell on the Assam side of the Jinjiram river when the people were heading back home on boats during the storm.
According to the MDC, the programme was conducted in the Sabang river which connects with Jinjiram and lies in the vicinity of Haribhanga village under Bogularbhita police outpost.
“The waters where the boat capsized pertinently falls under Assam side. Since the incident happened after the program on Assam side, it signifies that the organizers are not directly responsible for the same,” stated the MDC in his clarification.
He goes on to mention that he had attended the programme as chief guest on the request of the organizers and had sponsored some of the prizes.
Interestingly, it is alleged that the boat race was organised by the same MDC in his daughter’s name with prizes for winners being put up in the range of Rs 20,000, Rs. 10,000 and Rs. 5000.
He has also kept silence on the part of the organizers failing to obtain permission from authorities in West Garo Hills for holding the boat race.
West Garo Hills police has already ordered a probe into the holding of the event