Also punish political leaders culpable for tragedy: Victims’ kin

AMRITSAR:The families of the victims of the 2018 Amritsar Dussehra train tragedy on Saturday termed the indictment of some municipal corporation (MC) officials as a travesty of justice as political leaders responsible for the accident have not been punished yet.

The development comes a day after HT reported that the judicial inquiry report held two serving and three retired MC employees responsible for the lapses that led to the accident.

Addressing a press conference, Deepak Kumar, son of Girender Kumar, one of the victims, said it was really unfortunate that the political leaders who were responsible for the accident have been being spared.

Navjit Singh, whose son was killed in the accident, said, “Until the magisterial probe indicts the Dussehra committee members and railway employees as well, justice would not be considered as having been done to the victims.”

“For the last two years, we have been demanding jobs as promised by the then local bodies minister Navjot Singh Sidhu and mayor Karamjit Singh Rintu, but to no avail, “said Kamal Makhan, the father of another victim.

Also, Akali leader and former MLA Virsa Singh Valtoha accused Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi of securing a clean chit for the then local bodies minister Navjot Singh Sidhu and his wife Navjot Kaur, who was chief guest at the Dussehra function.

“The judicial probe by a retired judge wrongfully framed junior officers of the municipal corporation. The employees could not have refused directions from the local bodies minister who was also the sitting MLA from the Amritsar (East) constituency where the function was held in contravention of all rules and regulations,” he said.