Mother of Harni tragedy victim, who interrupted Gujarat CM’s speech, released after crime branch detention

“We wanted to meet peacefully, we have been pushing for one- and-a-half years but no one is allowing us to meet,” shouted two women from the audience during Gujarat CM Bhupendra Patel’s speech in Vadodara.

The CM was addressing an event, while laying foundation for development works worth ₹1,156 crore.

While these women were speaking, security personnel and women police personnel tried to prevent them from speaking by muzzling their mouths and taking them out of the event hall.

The women and their husbands were subsequently detained by the crime branch. The women were reportedly questioned for four hours, after which they were allowed to go. 

After the interruption, the CM said that it is not appropriate to present one’s issues like this when I am here for a programme. However, for someone who has lost their child, is seeking justice, and was silenced by the authorities, the CM’s words must have felt ‘inappropriate’.

The chief minister, on his part, met both the women and listened to their pleas post the event.

The Harni boat tragedy in Vadodara claimed 14 lives, including 12 children and two teachers, when an overloaded boat, not complying with safety measures, capsized in the lake, managed by a private contractor.