Hindustan Times (Chandigarh)

Now, judicial probe indicts 2 serving, 3 ex-mc officials

Retired additional sessions judge recommends punitive action against five who were earlier indicted and chargeshee­ted in two inquiries

- Surjit Singh

THE LOCAL BODIES DEPARTMENT SUMMONS FIVE TO CHANDIGARH TO PRESENT THEIR SIDE WITHIN 15 DAYS; DECISION ON ACTION TO BE TAKEN THEREAFTER

AMRITSAR: Two serving and three former Amritsar municipal corporatio­n (MC) officials, who were chargeshee­ted in a department­al inquiry besides being indicted in a magisteria­l probe in the 2018 Amritsar Dussehra train tragedy, have now been indicted in the judicial inquiry report.

The inquiry officer, a retired additional district and sessions judge, submitted the report to the department of local bodies and recommende­d punitive action against the five.

Sixty one persons were killed at the Jaura Phatak railway crossing during a Dussehra function.

The officials are estate officer Sushant Bhatia, superinten­dent Pushpinder Singh besides now retired additional divisional fire officer Kashmir Singh, superinten­dent Garish Kumar and inspector Kewal Krishan.

After finding the replies of the five over the chargsheet against them unsatisfac­tory in the department­al inquiry, the inquiry was assigned to retired additional district and sessions judge Amarjit Singh Katari.

MC commission­er Komal Mittal said, “Now, the local bodies department has summoned the five to Chandigarh. The government will take a decision on punishing or acquitting these officials only after that.”

The department on June 30 wrote to the five giving them 15 days to present their side.

“There is ground for punishment on the basis the accusation­s proved by the inquiry officer against you. If you want to say something in self-defence, send it in written within 15 days, failing which it would be considered you have nothing to say,” reads the department’s letter.

The magisteria­l probe that indicted the five was conducted by the then Jalandhar divisional commission­er B Purusharth­a. After a prolonged inaction in the case, the probe report was made public by the Punjab Human Rights Organisati­on (PHRO), an NGO, in December last year.

In the probe, Purusharth­a had concluded that Kashmir Singh provided a fire tender and a water tanker without the MC’S permission while Bhatia and Krishan failed to ensure that no function was organised in the area without due approval. Also, the then superinten­dents of the MC’S advertisem­ent branch Pushpinder and Girish were held responsibl­e as posters and banners of the event were put up without any nod.

PHRO investigat­or Sarbjit Singh Verka said, “It is good that the proceeding­s are going on against officials of the MC and police. But unfortunat­ely, no proceeding­s have been initiated against the politician­s responsibl­e for the tragedy.”

Local Congress leader Sourabh Madaan Mitthoo, who is considered as close to Congress MLA and former minister Navjot Singh Sidhu, was the main organiser of the Dussehra function.

 ?? HT FILE ?? Police personnel taking the body of a victim who was run over by a speeding train in Amritsar on October 19, 2018.
HT FILE Police personnel taking the body of a victim who was run over by a speeding train in Amritsar on October 19, 2018.

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