AMN / New Delhi
Railway Board Chairman Ashwani Lohani today said that railways was not intimated about a Dussehra event along the tracks that led to the deaths of at least 61 people in Amritsar.
In a statement, 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 the gateman was 400 metres away at a level crossing. He also said that if the driver had applied emergency brakes, there could have been a bigger tragedy.
He said the train was running at its assigned speed and initial reports suggested 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 the national transporter had been carrying out campaigns exhorting people not to trespass. “We will take that forward,” he said.
Amritsar train tragedy: Train driver detained, questioned
Amritsar
The Punjab and Railway Police on Saturday reportedly questioned the driver of the train that crushed at least 61 people to death here while they were watching the burning of a Ravana effigy from a railway track.
Punjab Police officials said the DMU (diesel multiple unit) driver had been detained at the Ludhiana railway station and was being questioned regarding the incident that took place on Friday night at the Jora Phatak near Dhobi Ghat within Amritsar city.
Sources said the driver claimed that he was given the green signal and all clear and had no idea that hundreds of people were standing on the tracks when the train crossed the area.
No action has so far been initiated against the organisers of the Dusshera event, who are leaders of the ruling Congress in Punjab. Police sources said the organisers had gone underground.
Railway officials were also gathering information from the railway linemen posted along the tracks near the Jora Phatak area who failed to inform the DMU driver regarding the presence of over 700 people on the tracks who were watching the burning of the Ravan and other effigies during Dussehra celebrations.