TANUR (MALAPPURAM)/THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The police on Wednesday arrested the driver of the boat involved in the May 7 Tanur mishap that left 22 people dead. Meanwhile, the government formed a three-member judicial commission chaired by Justice (retired) V K Mohanan to probe the tragic incident.
Dinesan, the driver of the ill-fated vessel Atlantic that capsized in Poorapuzha river, was picked up by the special investigation team (SIT). He is the fifth person to be arrested. Nasar P, the boat’s owner, was arrested from Kozhikode on Monday, a day after the incident.
Nasar’s brother and Tanur native Salam, 53, relative Vahid, 27, and friend Muhammad Shafi, 37, who were the crew members, were taken into custody from different parts of Malappuram on Tuesday night. Their arrests were recorded on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, as per the cabinet decision, the judicial panel will have two technical experts — Neelakantan Unni, retired chief engineer of Inland Waterways Authority of India, and Suresh Kumar, chief engineer of Kerala Waterways and Infrastructure Ltd — as members.
The government had earlier announced Rs 10 lakh each as compensation from the Chief Minister’s Distress Relief Fund (CMDRF) to the next of kin of the 22 people who died in the capsize.
5th arrest
Dinesan fifth man to be nabbed. Boat owner Nasar P, four others were nabbed earlier