The Jabalpur District Court ordered an FIR against a cruise boat pilot and others after a vessel sank in Madhya Pradesh, killing 13 people. Taking suo motu cognisance, the court accused the operator of abandoning passengers during the emergency and ordered prosecution under sections 106 and 110 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita for negligence and culpable homicide.

The court stated the operator, aware of the vessel’s condition, exited safely without attempting to rescue passengers and left them to die. It warned that without investigation and prosecution, similar incidents could recur and directed authorities to file the FIR against the driver and others present during the incident.

Jabalpur district authorities said search operations at Bargi Dam concluded Sunday with the recovery of two more bodies, bringing the toll to 13. All missing persons have been accounted for, and the bodies were sent to a government hospital for postmortem examination.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced compensation of Rs 2 lakh to the next of kin of each victim and Rs 50,000 for the injured. The court will proceed with monitoring the FIR registration and investigation into the circumstances of the sinking.