GRP book unidentified persons for negligence

WHOSE NEGLIGENCE IS IT? 100 cops were on duty at Dussehra venue but eyewitnesses say none of them failed to keep tracks clear

AMRITSAR : At 6.55pm 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 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 Jaura Fatak, 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 where a huge crowd had gathered. As soon as the effigy of Ravana caught fire, the whole area was resonated with the sound of crackers. In the meantime, DMU74643, which was coming from Jalandhar to Amritsar, passed by. Soon after, hue and cry of people was heard.when we reached, there were several bodies, including those of women and children, lying on and along the track. Many people were injured.”

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 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder), 304-A (causing death by negligence), 337 (causing hurt by act endangering life or safety of others) and 338 (causing grievous hurt) of the IPC against unidentified persons.

EVENT ON LARGER 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.”

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.”