Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh Saturday ordered a magisterial inquiry into the Amritsar train accident which claimed 59 lives and injured nearly 60 Friday. He sought a report from the Police Commissioner within four weeks. The Chief Minister, who visited the injured at Amritsar’s Civil Hospital on Saturday as well as the site of the incident, also ordered the immediate release of Rs 3 crore to the District Collector for payment of ex gratia to the families of the deceased.
Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh Saturday ordered a magisterial inquiry into the Amritsar train accident which claimed 59 lives and injured nearly 60 Friday. He sought a report from the Police Commissioner within four weeks. The Chief Minister, who visited the injured at Amritsar’s Civil Hospital on Saturday as well as the site of the incident, also ordered the immediate release of Rs 3 crore to the District Collector for payment of ex gratia to the families of the deceased.
“We are ordering a magisterial inquiry into the incident under the Police Commissioner who will submit a report in 4 weeks,” he said. “59 people were killed and 57 people were injured in the incident. We will try to conduct the postmortems as soon as possible. We have identified most of the bodies except nine.”
Amarinder Singh added, “When a tragedy occurs, the entire administration gets involved. We have come here as soon as we could come. Today, the entire cabinet of Punjab is here.”
The Punjab government declared Saturday a day of mourning in the state. Offices and educational institutions remained closed. Amarinder, who was scheduled to leave for Israel on Friday evening, had postponed the trip and flown to Amritsar instead.
At around 6.50 pm Friday, two speeding trains travelling in opposite directions mowed down several people standing on the railway tracks watching a Ravana effigy being burnt during a Dussehra celebration in Amritsar. Most of the deaths were caused by the first train, Jalandhar-Amritsar DMU. The second train, the Amritsar-Howrah Express, ran over those who had jumped on the second set of tracks to escape the first.
At least 300 spectators had gathered at the Dhobi Ghat ground barely 2 kilometres from the Amritsar station. Although the gates at the Jaura Phatak crossing were closed at the time, many of them, for getting a better view of the burning Ravan, kept standing on the tracks taking videos when the first of the trains ran them over.
Directing officials to provide immediate assistance, Prime Minister Narendra Modi Friday had announced compensation of Rs 2 lakh for the family of the dead and Rs 50,000 for the injured.
“We are ordering a magisterial inquiry into the incident under the Police Commissioner who will submit a report in 4 weeks,” he said. “59 people were killed and 57 people were injured in the incident. We will try to conduct the postmortems as soon as possible. We have identified most of the bodies except nine.”
Amarinder Singh added, “When a tragedy occurs, the entire administration gets involved. We have come here as soon as we could come. Today, the entire cabinet of Punjab is here.”
The Punjab government declared Saturday a day of mourning in the state. Offices and educational institutions remained closed. Amarinder, who was scheduled to leave for Israel on Friday evening, had postponed the trip and flown to Amritsar instead.
At around 6.50 pm Friday, two speeding trains travelling in opposite directions mowed down several people standing on the railway tracks watching a Ravana effigy being burnt during a Dussehra celebration in Amritsar. Most of the deaths were caused by the first train, Jalandhar-Amritsar DMU. The second train, the Amritsar-Howrah Express, ran over those who had jumped on the second set of tracks to escape the first.
At least 300 spectators had gathered at the Dhobi Ghat ground barely 2 kilometres from the Amritsar station. Although the gates at the Jaura Phatak crossing were closed at the time, many of them, for getting a better view of the burning Ravan, kept standing on the tracks taking videos when the first of the trains ran them over.
Directing officials to provide immediate assistance, Prime Minister Narendra Modi Friday had announced compensation of Rs 2 lakh for the family of the dead and Rs 50,000 for the injured.