Navy pilot charge-sheeted in ferry crash that killed 15

The charge sheet was filed after police in the Esplanade court received a report from the Original Equipment Manufacture stating that the naval craft was found to be technically sound and the incident was likely caused by human error, negligence and speeding

MUMBAI: Twenty-one months after a Navy speed boat crashed into a passenger ferry near Butcher Island off the Mumbai coast, resulting in 15 deaths, the Colaba police have filed a charge-sheet against MARCOS special officer Karamveer Bahadur Singh Yadav, who was piloting the speed boat.

The accident, one of the deadliest accidents in the Mumbai harbour, took place on December 18, 2024, as the passenger ferry, the Neel Kamal, sailed from the Gateway of India to Elephanta Island, with around 100 passengers on board. (Hindustan Times)

The charge sheet was filed after police in the Esplanade court received a report from the Original Equipment Manufacture (OEM) stating that the naval craft was found to be technically sound and the incident was likely caused by human error, negligence and speeding.

Yadav, who sustained serious injuries and underwent prolonged medical treatment, resumed service last month.

“We attempted to file the charge-sheet last month but the court did not accept it as there were some queries. We have submitted additional documents and have resolved those queries,” said an officer with the Colaba police station. The court is yet to take cognisance of the charge-sheet, he added.

The accident, one of the deadliest accidents in the Mumbai harbour, took place on December 18, 2024, as the passenger ferry, the Neel Kamal, sailed from the Gateway of India to Elephanta Island, with around 100 passengers on board.

Forty minutes into its journey, a Navy speed boat conducting engine trials rammed into its rear end at high speed, causing it to capsize. Fifteen people died, including chief petty officer with the Navy, Mahendra Singh Shekhawat. Karamveer Yadav, special officer with the Navy’s elite Marine Commando Force (MARCOS), who was piloting the boat, and OEM representatives also in the craft, survived.

What followed was a massive rescue operation, which included vessels with the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority (JNPA), Navy, Coast Guard, Marine Police and even a few private vessels.

A video of the accident taken by a passenger on the Neel Kamal showed the Naval speed boat overtaking the ferry at high speed from its right side, making a U-turn and approaching the ferry before it collided with the passenger craft.

The Colaba police registered a first information report (FIR) against the speed boat pilot under sections 106 (1) (causing death by negligence), 125(a) (reckless or negligent acts endangering personal safety or life of others), 282 (rash or negligent navigation of a vessel), and 324 (mischief) of the Bhartiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023.

Two agencies investigated the crash – the Indian Navy and the Colaba police, under whose jurisdiction the incident occurred. The police investigation studied whether the boat’s engine had malfunctioned or whether pilot error had led to the accident.

“We had the speed boat examined by the Maharashtra Maritime Board (MMB) and Indian Navy, which also set up a board of inquiry, but we are yet to receive their report. When we do, we will file it in court as a supplementary charge-sheet to support our case against the MARCOS officer,” said the officer with the Colaba police.

He said both the Navy and the police had asked the OEM supplier, who had manufactured and supplied the speed boat, to check the Navy speed boat. The report says there was no technical fault in the speed boat, ruling out the possibility of engine malfunction, said the officer..

“Our charge-sheet against special officer Yadav is based on the OEM report. Our investigation concluded that negligence on his part led to the accident,” said the police officer.