Amritsar train mishap: FIR against unknown persons, probe ordered

Hours after the train mishap at Amritsar, an FIR has been registered at the GRP Police Station on Saturday morning but no one has been named as the accused. In the FIR, the case has been registered under IPC section 304, 304A, 337 and 338. Several officers, including GRP SSP Daljit Singh Rana, were present at the police station during the night.

On Friday evening, during the Dussehra celebrations, more than 60 people were killed and over 70 injured when the people were watching the burning of the Ravana effigy from a railway track.

On Saturday morning, senior political figures including Punjab Governor VP Singh Badnore and Cabinet Minister Navjot Singh Sidhu visited the injured in hospitals. Badnore arrived early on Saturday and met the injured at the Guru Nanak Dev government hospital. State Education Minister and Amritsar legislator OP Soni were also present during the Governor`s visit. Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh is expected to arrive later and meet the families of victims.

Speaking on the matter, Railway Board Chairman Ashwani Lohani said in a statement that the railways was not intimated about a Dussehra event along the tracks said. He said that the accident occurred at a stretch between two stations -- Amritsar and Manawala, and not at a level crossing.

"At midsections, trains run at their assigned speed and people are not expected to be on the tracks. At midsections, there is no railway staff posted. We have staff at level crossings whose job is to regulate traffic," he said, explaining why the railways was not alerted about the congregation by its staff.

He said that the gateman was 400 metres away at a level crossing. He also said that if the driver had applied emergency breaks, there could have been a bigger tragedy. He said that the train was running at its assigned speed and initial reports suggest that the driver applied brakes and the train slowed down. "There was no information and no permission sought from us. The event took place at a place adjoining the railway land in private property," he said.

Refusing to assign any blame, Lohani, who visited the spot at midnight, said that the national transporter has been carrying out campaigns exhorting people not to trespass. "We will take that forward," he said.

Over 700 people were watching the huge Ravana effigy going up in flames amid exploding crackers when the Jalandhar-Amritsar DMU passenger train coming to Amritsar from Hoshiarpur came hurtling down around 7 pm. It took just about 10-15 seconds for the train to pass -- and leave behind a heap of crushed and dismembered bodies.

People standing on the tracks did not realise that the train was approaching fast due to the noise of the firecrackers during the burning effigy.