AMRITSAR – Dusehra celebrations turned tragic in Amritsar on Friday evening after a speeding train ran over hundreds of people who were watching burning Dusehra Effigies.
The tragedy took place at the Joda Fatak area where a large crowd had gathered to watch the burning of Dusehra effigies. As the firecrackers went off, the organisers of the Dusehra celebration asked people to move back. A large number of people moved towards the railway tracks.
At the same time, the Jalandhar-Amritsar DMU was crossing the spot. Police officials said that the revelers could not hear the train approaching because of the loud explosions from the effigy and were run over by the train. Eyewitnesses said the Amritsar-Howrah train had crossed the spot minutes earlier. Had the two trains crossed at the same time, the casualties would have been much higher.
Several people were mowed down by THE TRAIN
Wails and cries of people filled the air as friends and relatives frantically looked for their near and dear ones. Severed bodies, including of many children, were still lying on the accident site hours after the incident with angry people not allowing authorities to remove them.
It was a heart-rending sight as the dismembered body parts laid strewn on the blood-soaked ground. Many bodies could not be identified.
There was shock and disbelief as panic-stricken people recounted the horror. “I have lost my minor child. I want him back,” an inconsolable mother could be heard.
“Several times we have been requesting the authorities and leaders to take up the issue with railway authorities to slow down the trains near this phatak during Dasehra, but no one has listened,” a local said.
Rail services suspended
New Delhi: All services on the Jalandhar-Amritsar route remained suspended three hours after the tragedy. A railway official said while some trains are being diverted, many are stationed near Jalandhar. Railway officials termed the dead as “trespassers” and said they were unlikely to get any compensation from the national transporter as they were not passengers. PTI
State mourning today
- All offices, educational institutions in Punjab to remain closed on Saturday
- Railways helpline numbers — 0183-2223171, 0183-2564485
- PM announces Rs 2 lakh for family of dead, Rs 50,000 for the injured
- MoS, Railways, Manoj Sinha, reached the spot late at night. The train driver, whose identity is withheld, is being questioned
Permission ‘not sought’
Was permission sought and granted to burn Dasehra effigies near the railway tracks? Soon after the tragedy, the MC Commissioner said it wasn’t. The CM said the administration will look into why the effigy was erected next to rail tracks, but MLA Navjot Kaur Sidhu said Dusehra celebrations took place at the spot every year. Railways should have ensured trains slow down, she added.