Kullu raft fatality: Operator was overloading, had no licence, arrested

MANALI: The raft which capsized in the Beas near here on Monday, leading to the death of a newlywed from Kerala, was being operated without a licence or an insurance, said police on Wednesday.


On finding this out, police have arrested the Nepalese rafting guide, Vishnu (32). He was involved in a similar accident a few months ago.

Kullu superintendent of police Gaurav Singh said Vishnu had been living in Kullu. He is yet to produce the insurance for the raft, said the SP. The police investigation has also revealed that nine persons were on the raft at the time of the accident, even as the maximum limit is six persons. There was no helper with Vishnu, he said.

The SP said it seemed these violations also resulted in the accident. The SP said Vishnu met with a similar accident earlier this year, and that had resulted in a woman’s death. “We have arrested him under sections 304 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) and 336 (act endangering life or personal safety of others) of the Indian Penal Code. He was produced before a court and remanded in 14-day judicial custody,” he said.

Renjith KS (35), a resident of Thiruvananthpuram in Kerala, was on a tour of Kullu and Manali with his wife, when the couple hired the raft. However, as the boat capsized and Renjith’s lifejacket came off, he drowned in the Beas. The remaining eight persons were rescued. The incident had happened on the first day of rafting season in Kullu district, after the two-month yearly ban on the adventure activity during monsoon season.

Sources said a large number of rafting operators were not following safety norms — old equipment was being used, overloading had become common, and some operators were engaged in the business without a valid licence or trained guide. Tourism department being the main agency to keep a check on the activity is facing a staff crunch and cannot afford regular checks. All this has resulted in nine deaths and many injuries due to rafting mishaps since 2011.

The SP said operating rafting, which is an extreme adventure sport, without having proper documents and without following safety norms is an offence. “If any such operator is found, he will be booked for endangering life of others,” he added.