Within minutes, festival turned into tragedy Families of victims recount the horror
Police admit to giving permission for the event; Centre says Railways not informed about the festivities near the tracks
AMRITSAR: Around 7pm on Friday, a huge crowd was watching the Dussehra celebrations at Dhobi Ghat when they were mowed down by a diesel multiple unit (DMU) train, says the first information report (FIR) registered by Balvir Singh, the station house officer (SHO) of Government Railway Police (GRP), Amritsar.
The FIR, registered on the statement of assistant sub-inspector (ASI) Satnam Singh, in-charge of Golden Avenue police post that falls under Mohkampura police station, named unidentified persons for negligence. “Nearly 100 policemen, including Mohkampura SHO Sukhinder Singh and A-division SHO Jaspal Singh, were present on Dussehra duty before the incident took place,” the ASI said.
Chander Shekhar Luthra, an eyewitness and resident of Joda Phatak, said: “There were many policemen at the Dussehra function but they didn’t bother to evict people from the rail tracks.”
Sharing the sequence of events, Satnam Singh said: “I along with other police personnel was deployed at the Dussehra function at Dhobi Ghat near Joda Phatak where a huge crowd had gathered. As soon as the effigy of Ravana caught fire, the whole area resonated with the sound of crackers. In the meantime, DMU74643, which was coming from Jalandhar to Amritsar station, passed by. We reached the railway track immediately and found there were several bodies, including those of women and children, lying on and along the track. Many people were injured. With the help of the public at the spot, we rushed the injured to the civil hospital. Ambulances and more police were called to the spot.”
The FIR says that after the statement of the ASI, GRP SHO Balvir Singh reached the spot and began investigation. The case was registered under Section 304 (punishment for culpable homicide not amounting to murder), 304-A (causing death by negligence), 337 (causing hurt by act endangering life or personal safety of others) and 338 (causing grievous hurt by act endangering life or personal safety of others) of the Indian Penal Code against unidentified persons.
EVENT ON BIG SCALE
Eyewitnesses and residents of the area said the Dussehra function was held at the Dhobi Ghat for three decades but was not allowed last year after residents opposed it, saying it was unsafe in the congested residential area. Jaskaran Singh, a local resident, said, “The ceremony used to be held here but this time it was on a much larger scale. Earlier, the organisers would form a human chain to prevent people for reaching the rail tracks but no such arrangement was made this time.” Amritsar municipal corporation (MC) commissioner Sonali Giri confirmed that the function was on a larger scale this time.
Navjot Kaur Sidhu, a former MLA and the wife of Punjab minister Navjot Singh Sidhu, was the chief guest. Maninder Singh, a resident of Mohkampura, said, “The function was delayed as the chief guest arrived late. The effigy was burnt when it had become dark.” Navjot Kaur said, “I left the spot 15 minutes before the incident took place.” Mayor Karamjit Singh Rintu said the function was organised by Saurabh Madan, the son of Congress councillor Vijay Madan.
COPS GAVE PERMISSION
Amritsar police admitted that they had given permission for the event after receiving a report from the area station house officer. However, the police and district administration did not inform the railways about the function. Manoj Sinha, the minister of state for railways, said, “The event was held near the Amritsar-delhi rail route but no railway official was informed.”
Railway sources said the loco pilot (driver) said he had the green and all clear signal and had no idea that a crowd was gathered on the tracks. Divisional railway manager, Ferozepur, Vivek Kumar said, “The railways is not responsible for the accident, which took place due to trespassing on tracks.” AMRITSAR: The railway line connecting Amritsar with rest of the country virtually turned into a track of horror on Friday night.
A local businessman started search for his son’s body after a picture of the boy’s severed head flashed on his mobile phone, a man could only find his sister’s arm at a hospital mortuary and another 30-year-old man, who played Ravana at the Dussehra festival, was mowed down while trying to save others.
These are some of the many heart-rending stories from Joda Phatak, where 61 persons were killed and 143 injured in a train accident at a Dussehra celebration on Friday. Almost every home in the locality, mostly inhabited by migrant labourers from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, has a story to tell.
The night that went by, they claimed, will remain etched in their memories for ever as they searched for their near ones on the railway tracks and at the two civil hospitals as the health officials said 10 of the 61 bodies were still to be recognised.
Vijay Kumar, 50, was waiting for his son, when at about 3 am a Whatsapp message flashed on his mobile phone. It was a picture of his 19-year-old son Manish’s severed head. Manish was among several others who were mowed down while watching Ravana’s effigy being burnt. The family has been searching for his body.
“Manish had passed Class 12. He left home at 5pm but did not return. When we heard about the tragedy, we started looking for him. We spent the night searching till we saw the photo early Saturday morning,” Kumar said. His younger son Ishu said the family was shown a leg recovered from the track but they were not sure if it was that of Manish. “The authorities could not find the severed head,” Kumar said. The health officials will now conduct DNA test of the unclaimed bodies to find whether any one of them is that of Manish’s.
Bawa Dogra, 40, could only find his sister Ashmina’s arm in a mortuary at the Civil hospital. “My sister Ashmina married Aman Dogra 12 years ago. They had two children, Nakul, 11, and Kashish, 7. The family had gone to watch the Dussehra celebrations but no one returned home. All I have got from the Civil hospital mortuary is her arm. There is no sign of her body,” Dogra said.
He regrets that his sister decided to go despite his warning her that it was unsafe.
Dalbir Singh, 30, who played the role of Ravana at the Ramlila, was returning home after receiving a medal from the chief guest, Navjot Kaur Sidhu, at the Dussehra function when he saw the train coming. Singh sprung into action and in a bid to save people near the tracks, lost his life.
“My son played the role of Ram or Laxman every year in the Ramlila. This was the first time he was playing the role of Ravana. As soon as he saw the train moving towards the crowd, he ran to save people. He managed to save the lives of a few people,” said his mother, Sonu Kaur.
Ten years ago, Singh’s father died after being hit by a train when he was crossing a railway track to visit his farm land.
Rajan Kumar, who played the role of Hanuman in the Dussehra celebrations, was unable to find his cousin Munish, a BA first year student of DAV College, Amritsar, who had come to watch his performance. “Since the accident, his phone is unreachable. I don’t know what happened to him,” Ranjan said.
The eyewitnesses recalled the horrific scenes at the railway track. “With my bare hands I gathered the severed limbs of the people who were run over by the train,” said Pawan Malhotra, who had moved away from the track to attend a phone call when the accident took place.
The locals, however, blamed the administration for the tragedy. Dalbir’s sister Soniya said the compensation announced by the state government won’t bring back her brother while Manish’s uncle, Vipan Kumar, accused the administration of carelessness, and were not helping them.