Amritsar train accident: Warned people 10 times not to stand on tracks, says event organiser
Amritsar, Oct 22: Saurabh Madan alias Mithu, who went into hiding after kin of the victims in Friday’s tragedy blamed him, said there were no lapses from his side.
The organiser of a Dussehra event at Amritsar’s Dhobi Ghat where 61 people were killed as a train ploughed through a crowd, claimed all permissions and safety measures were taken and he was being framed by some people who had “personal enmity” against him.
In an about one and a half minute-long video, shared by ANI, a distressed-looking Saurabh Madan alias Mithu, who went into hiding after kin of the victims in Friday’s tragedy blamed him, said there were no lapses from his side.
“I had organised the function to get everyone together. We took all permissions... we had 20 feet space around the Ravan effigy. There was no lapse from my side, we had 100 policemen at the site, a fire brigade vehicle and water tankers were there at the spot. The programme was held within the boundary of the Dhobi ghat ground, not on the (railway) lines... we hadn’t put chairs on the railways lines,” Madan said in Punjabi in the video shot in an undisclosed location.
“The train suddenly came.. it was fate. We had already made 7-10 announcements asking people not to stand on the railway lines,” he added.
Madan, the son of local Congress councillor Vijay Madan, alleged that there were “three-four mischievous people with personal enmity against him” who were spreading accusations against him, and he appealed to people not to believe them, adding he and his family were very disturbed.
Closed-circuit television footage of Madan leaving his house in an SUV surfaced on the social media on Sunday. His house has been locked ever since the accident. Angry people even threw stones at the house Saturday.
The Punjab police and the Government Railway Police (GRP) have not initiated any action against Madan yet.
“The accident took place on the railway track which is under the jurisdiction of GRP. We cannot do anything. Secondly, chief minister Amarinder Singh has ordered a magisterial inquiry in the case,” said Amritsar police commissioner S S Srivastava.
The GRP has registered an FIR against unknown persons for negligence and culpable homicide. “The matter is under investigation,” GRP Amritsar station house officer Balbir Singh said.
Hindustan Times repeatedly tried to call Madan over the phone but to no avail.
Organizer of Dusshera event Saurabh Madan Mithoo releases video message,says ' Had taken all permissions,had alerted crowd atleast 10 times to not stand on tracks. I am extremely pained by the incident. Some ppl are trying to defame me' #Amritsartrainaccident (location: unknown) pic.twitter.com/viPXBws3P8
— ANI (@ANI) October 22, 2018
Courtesy: www.hindustantimes.com
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Four dead, 6 injured in road accident in Bihar's Saran district
Chhapra (Bihar) (PTI): Four people, including two women, died on the spot and six others were injured in an accident in Bihar's Saran district on Wednesday morning, a police official said.
The incident took place on the Brahmpur-Revelganj road in Bhagwan Bazar police station area of the district.
Talking to PTI, Chhapra SDPO (Sadar-1) said, "Around 5.45 am, a pickup vehicle travelling from Brahmpur towards Uttar Pradesh, which had 12 people on board, lost control and overturned. An unidentified truck allegedly ran over four people, including two men and two women, who had fallen onto the road."
Of the six people who were injured, four are undergoing treatment at Sadar hospital in Chhapra, and two others, who are in a critical condition, have been referred to Patna Medical College and Hospital for treatment, he added.
The bodies have been sent for post-mortem examination.
An FIR was registered at the Traffic police station, and further legal action is being taken, officials said.
CCTV footage from nearby areas is being examined to identify the truck and its driver, they added.
The SDPO said the deceased belonged to different regions of Uttar Pradesh, and police are trying to reach out to their families.
