PTI, AMRITSAR/MUZAFFARPUR: Amid a blame-game over the Amritsar tragedy, a case was filed in a Bihar court on Monday holding organisers of the Dussehra event and chief guest Navjot Kaur Sidhu responsible for mowing down of several revellers by a passing train, while the NHRC served notices to the Railways and the Punjab government.
Congress MP Sunil Jakhar and Punjab minister Tript Rajinder Singh Bajwa, however, came forward in defence of Sidhu and sought to put the blame on the Railways for the tragic incident in which nearly 60 people, including migrants from Bihar, died while watching the Dussehra celebrations from across the tracks on Friday evening.
A similar petition was filed by an advocate on Monday in the Punjab and Haryana High court, seeking a probe by the CBI or a special investigation team into the accident. Dinesh Kumar Dakoria, the petitioner, too has blamed the event organisers for the tragedy.
Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh, who has gone to Israel, reviewed the situation through video-conference with the state government officials and asked them to expedite the process of providing relief and compensation to the families of those dead and to the injured.
People angry over the train accident had pelted stones and clashed with security personnel on Sunday. They sat on the railway tracks, where the accident happened, and protested. They were later removed by authorities.
During the review meeting, the officials also told Singh that all victims, except one, had been identified.
Union Railway Minister Piyush Goyal, meanwhile, returned from the US, with officials attributing the delay in his return to non-availability of tickets and problem of connecting flights.
Goyal, who had gone to the US for an award ceremony, had said soon after the incident that he was cancelling all his engagements there to immediately return to India. On his arrival, Goyal was briefed about the latest developments regarding the incident.
