Amritsar Train Tragedy: Family of 13-year-old victim holds protest

Distraught family of a 13-year-old, who died in the Amritsar train accident, staged a protest at the Amritsar-Jalandhar highway on Saturday.

Family members of the victim, whose name was Satish, demonstrated with the deceased's body and blocked the highway for commuters. They demanded compensation from the government and blamed authorities for the tragic incident.

"He went to see the fair, but never returned," said the victim's grieved father.

Another man present at the protest claimed to be present at the spot when the tragedy struck on Friday night.

"The train driver did not blow the whistle, many of us being grown-ups got out of the way but he (Satish) was young he couldn't understand what to do. The train was clocking a speed of over 100 km per hour, I even have a video," said the man.

The accident took place in Choura Bazar near Jhoda Phatak area of Amritsar after a train ran over the crowd, standing along train tracks, to watch an effigy of Ravan being burnt. 60 people died in the tragedy and 57 sustained injuries.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has approved an ex-gratia payment of Rs 2 lakh for the families of those killed in the train tragedy, along with Rs 50,000 for the injured.

Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh has announced an ex-gratia of Rs 5 lakh each to the next of kin of the deceased.