Clashes erupt as police remove protesters from tracks, 2 hurt
AMRITSAR : A police commando and a photojournalist were injured on Sunday when protesters hurled stones and clashed with security personnel who removed them from a rail track where 61 Dussehra revellers were mowed down by a train.
“The protesters blocking the tracks were removed and train services resumed this afternoon, 40 hours after the Friday’s horrific accident,” a railway spokesperson said.
A case under attempt to murder has been registered against 50 unidentified persons for throwing stones at police personnel. One person has been arrested. “A cop received severe injuries during stonepelting. We have registered a case under sections 307 (attempt to murder), 148 (rioting, armed with deadly weapon), 186 (obstructing public servant in discharge of public functions), 120-B (punishment of criminal conspiracy) of the IPC against 50 unidentified people,” a police spokesperson said.
“Train services resumed on the affected rail track near Jaura Phatak,” senior divisional security commissioner (Railways), Ferozepur division, S Sudhakar said. Earlier in the day, Punjab Police cleared the track off the protesters who were staging a sit-in, demanding action against the driver and resignation of local bodies minister Navjot Singh Sidhu. They said they won’t let any train pass if their demands are not met. The crowd resorted to stone-pelting and clashed with security personnel while being removed, officials said.
Apart from Punjab Police personnel, Rapid Action force was also deployed to manage the crowd.