Amritsar: Punjab CM Captain Amarinder Singh rushes out of train accident site to escape public ire

Amritsar: Punjab chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Saturday rushed away from the site in Amritsar where a train had mowed down a crowd gathered to celebrate Dussehra. The chief minister hung around for a mere 30 seconds even as journalists and people around questioned him for the state inaction.

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At the time, the chief minister was still some distance away from the spot of the accident that killed more than 60 people and injured close to 100 in the night of Dussehra. The crowd was watching the burning of effigies of Ravana, Kumbhakarna and Meghnada at a ground nearby, from where the gathering spilled over to the nearby railway tracks. Unmindful of the incoming train, many lost their lives or were critically injured when it ran over them.

When MyNation questioned the Punjab chief minister whether he was merely fulfilling a formality by reaching the spot of the train accident, Captain Singh said, "Don't scream at me."

The chief minister did not answer the question before being ushered away.

Earlier, tension had gripped the area after the information of the chief minister arriving had reached the city. Singh finally arrived amid tight security. His car entered a mere 10 metres inside the phatak (the gate of the railway level crossing); the chief minister barely descended from the vehicle for 30 seconds and, on being questioned, left the place.

Before reaching the phatak, the chief minister had said he had ordered a magistrate-level inquiry into the incident, the report of which is expected in four weeks.

Sources in the Punjab Police had told this correspondent that the intelligence agencies had cautioned the chief minister against this visit in view of the tense situation.

The Punjab government has announced a compensation of Rs 5 lakh each while the Union government is paying a reparation of Rs 2 lakh each for the dead.

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