Agitators pelt stones at security forces as police try to move them from train tracks, victims' kin demand more compensation
A protest organised by the relatives of the deceased victims and survivors of the Amritsar train tragedy turned violent on Sunday as the protesters pelted stones on police personnel when they were asked to leave. Two policemen and a mediaperson were severely injured while dozen of men in Khaki received minor injuries.
The situation at Jaura Phatak in Amritsar turned tense when police tried to pacify the protestors. Agitators clashed with cops at the accident site, following which police resorted to lathi charge to clear the railway tracks where they were staging their demonstration.
The protesters also raised slogans against the Punjab government and demanded that Navjot Singh Sidhu resign as Cabinet Minister as Sidhu's wife Navjot Kaur Sidhu was present at the celebrations when the incident took place.
Saying the compensation announced by the state government would not heal the pain of the family members of the deceased, the protestors demanded more compensation. Parminder Singh, one of the protesters, said, "It is really shameful that state government has announced only Rs 5 lakh for the kin of the deceased even when they can purchase cars worth several crores for their personal use from public money."
Recently, around 400 luxury vehicles, including Land Cruisers and Mahindra Scorpios, were approved by the Punjab government for the chief minister, ministers, MLAs and bureaucrats. The new vehicles are likely to cost around Rs 80 crore on the state exchequer.
The police, thereafter, formed a human chain to stop protesters from gathering on the tracks. A near-empty train was allowed run in the Amritsar-Jalandhar railway section amid tight security measures in evening. Punjab Police personnel stood guard on both sides of the railway tracks near Jaura Phatak (railway gate) area of Amritsar to prevent any protesters from getting near the tracks.
The Punjab police along with commandoes were deployed to manage the crowd. Rapid Action Force and paramilitary forces were also deployed at the spot.
However, till late evening people from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar arrived near the place in search of their near and dear ones. Local residents and police officers guided them to the various hospitals across the city. A woman identified as Reena along with a baby in her lap reached the spot in search of her husband who is still untraceable.
The tragedy has left 62 people dead and more than 150 people injured after a train mowed down the people sitting on the track to see Ravana effigies burning.
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