Protesters, police clash at Amritsar crash site
Amritsar, Oct. 21: A police commando and a photojournalist were injured on Sunday when protesters pelted stones and clashed with security personnel who removed them from a rail track where 59 Dasara revellers were mowed down by a train, officials said, adding traffic was restored on the route.
The agitated protesters blocking the track were removed and train services resumed this afternoon with the movement of a goods train, 40 hours after the horrific accident.
The first passenger train Amritsar-Gorakhpur express started at 7 Pm, Northern Railway spokesperson Deepak Kumar said.
On Friday evening, a gathering of more than 300 people were on the tracks to watch the burning of a Ravana effigy when the speeding train struck leaving 59 dead and scores injured.
The railways got the clearance from local authorities at 12.30 pm to restore services, the railway spokesperson said.
Meanwhile, the Congress questioned the railways over its decision not to initiate a probe into the Amritsar train accident.
At a press conference, party spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi said while his party’s first concern remained the rehabilitation and relief of those injured and those who had lost their loved ones, it was “cruel” of the railways to reject an inquiry into the incident.
Amritsar, Oct. 21: A police commando and a photojournalist were injured on Sunday when protesters pelted stones and clashed with security personnel who removed them from a rail track where 59 Dasara revellers were mowed down by a train, officials said, adding traffic was restored on the route.
Minister of state for railways Manoj Sinha had ruled out an inquiry into the incident on Saturday.
“There was a curve. The driver couldn’t have seen it. What should we order an inquiry about? Trains travel in speed only,” said Mr Sinha.
In a Facebook post Sunday, railway board chairman Ashwani Lohani maintained the Indian Railways’ stand on the matter.
“Today we called a spade a spade. If IR is not at fault why beat about the bush. If our staff have done no wrong why hang them. We have to come out of our shells if the organisation has to flourish,” he said. Earlier in the day, the Punjab Police cleared the track off the protesters who were staging a sit-in.
They resorted to stonepelting and clashed with security personnel after being removed, officials said. A punjab police commando and a photojournalist were injured during the clash, they said. The protestors were raising slogans against the state government and demanding resignation of Punjab minister Navjot Singh Sidhu.
—PTI