Following the horrific tragedy in Amritsar on Friday, the organisers of the Dussehra event at the dhobi ghat near Jaura Phatak railway crossing — including Congress leader Saurabh Mithu Madan — have gone missing. The Punjab police has now decided to issue a look out notice against Madan and a dozen other organisers as they want to record their statement pertaining to the incident. The police will also take the statement of Navjot Singh Sidhu's wife Navjot Kaur Sidhu, who was the chief guest at the event.
A senior police officer said they are also attempting to determine why requisite permissions from the fire and municipal corporations were not taken for the event.
Meanwhile, the driver of the DMU (diesel multiple unit) train, Arvind Kumar who was detained on Saturday, has written his statement wherein he claims that he applied the emergency brakes when he saw the crowd. "Suddenly I saw a crowd of people near the track. I constantly sounded the horn as I applied the emergency brake."
"Despite applying emergency brake, some people were run over by the train. The train was almost coming to a halt when a very large crowd started attacking the train by throwing stones. Considering the safety of my passengers, I proceeded with the train," he wrote in the statement.
Incidentally, the first information report in the case was filed by the Government Railway Police against unidentified people based on the statement of an official on duty at the dhobi ghat who claims that there was a massive sound of crackers as a speeding train was passing by. Station House Officer of GRP railway station Amritsar, Balvir Singh, said that names of the accused will be added in the FIR after investigation.
"It is too early to say anything about the accused or who was responsible for the mass killing on railway track. But, during the course of investigation, many facts and causes are expected to come to light. Investigation will be conducted to find out the causes and lapses that led to the killing of so many people," he said.
However, even as the Punjab government has ordered a magisterial probe into the accident, the railways has ruled out any enquiry on its part. Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh said that a magisterial inquiry into the train accident will be submitted in four weeks.
