Source- indiatoday.in
Angry locals clashed with police and blocked traffic around the accident site in Joda Phatak area of Amritsar, Punjab on Sunday to protest against the Punjab government and the Railways towards the families of more than 60 people who were killed in Friday’s accident.
As the situation worsened, the Punjab Police cleared a section of the railway track which was blocked by agitators. During this, the protesters allegedly started pelting the policemen with stones and injuring some of them.
A large number of police officials pushed the protesters to the other side of the tracks where the accident took place on Friday evening, news agency PTI reported.
The railway tracks were later cleared off the protesters who were raising slogans against the state government and demanding resignation of Punjab minister Navjot Singh Sidhu.
The Punjab Police has deployed its personnel, including commandos, to manage the crowd. The Rapid Action Force is also present in the Joda Patak area, officials said.
Dussehra festivities in Amritsar took an ugly turn on Friday (October 19) when a train ran over a crowd killing more than 60 people and injuring nearly 70.
However, less than two days after the accident, the local administration, political parties and the railways have all started blaming each other.
The Railways has categorically said that is not responsible for the accident and the local administration and police refuse to accept that they were at fault in allowing the event to take place near the railway tracks.
HERE ARE THE TOP 5 LATEST DEVELOPMENTS:
1. The situation remained tense in Joda Phatak area as locals continued with their protest for the third day. Slogans were raised against the district administration claiming that some people were still missing. The protesters demanded that the missing person be traced and also adequate compensation should be given to the families of the victims. The protesters also blamed Railways for not slowing down the train at the time of the accident. Shops near the Joda Phatak area remained closed on Sunday.
2. The police admitted that a no-objection certificate was given to the Dussehra organisers but said they also needed permission from the municipal corporation. A leaked letter indicated that the organisers – the family of a local Congress councillor – had also sought security arrangements at the venue where Navjot Kaur Sidhu was expected. Meanwhile, the municipal corporation distanced itself from the tragedy. “Nobody was given permission for organising the Dussehra event. Moreover, nobody had applied for the permission with the Amritsar Municipal Corporation,” Commissioner Sonali Giri told PTI.
3. No one has taken responsibility for the accident yet. Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh has ordered a magisterial probe into the accident report of which will be submitted within four weeks. The Railways, however, said that the tragedy was a case of trespassing and not a railway accident and ruled out a probe by the Commissioner Railway Safety. The Commission of Railway Safety works under the administrative control of the Ministry of Civil Aviation and conducts a mandatory inquiry into all railway accidents – at unmanned level crossings, derailments or after a bridge collapse.
4. A video that surfaced on social media recently has fuelled accusations against Congress leader Navjot Kaur Sidhu, who was the chief guest at the Dussehra event. It purportedly showed her being told by someone on the dais that people were standing on the railway tracks. Opposition parties, including the Akali Dal, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), demanded action against those who allowed the event to take place. The Akali Dal has demanded her husband’s (Navjot Singh Sidhu’s) resignation. Navjot Singh Sidhu is a senior cabinet minister in the Captain Amarinder Singh government.
5. Municipal corporation councillor Vijay Madan and her son Sourabh Madan Mithu, the main organisers of the Dussehra celebration, are still absconding with other family members. According to police, a few people angry over the accident attacked their residence, broke window panes and pelted stones on Saturday. Following this, the Madan family members have gone to an undisclosed location and also switched off their mobile phones. However, police personnel have been deployed at the residence.
