SAD demands resignation of Sidhu, murder case against wife

The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) core committee on Sunday demanded the immediate sacking of Punjab Local Bodies minister Navjot Singh Sidhu and the registration of a murder case against Navjot Kaur Sidhu as well as the organizers of the Dussehra festival in the wake of the Amritsar train tragedy.

During the core committee meeting, which was presided by former chief minister S. Parkash Singh Badal and was attended by SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal along with other senior leaders, the SAD rejected the magisterial inquiry ordered by the Congress government and demanded a judicial inquiry by a sitting judge of the Punjab and Haryana high court, a statement from the SAD confirmed.

The SAD further termed the incident a "man-made disaster," adding that it was "unparalleled on account of the criminal negligence and sheer abetment by the function organizers."

The core committee "condemned the cover-up operation launched by chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh" demanding the registration of a fresh case in the matter as per the statement of the victim families.

The SAD said that like it was doing to every other section of society, the Congress government was now muzzling the voice of the poor by instituting a tailor-made inquiry with the sole aim of giving a clean chit to the culprits and putting the blame squarely on the Indian Railways, despite the fact that the victim families were ready to present irrefutable evidence against a Congress councillor as well as Navjot Kaur Sidhu for abetting the tragedy.

It said that there was no possibility of a free and fair inquiry by a magistrate who was reporting to cabinet minister Navjot Sidhu and his family.

The committee also passed a resolution, calling for Rs one crore compensation to the families of each victim as well as the grant of a government job to the next of kin of the victims. It said a separate government programme should be initiated to adopt the children of the victims.

Meanwhile, the operation of passenger trains resumed at 7 pm today in Amritsar's Choura Bazar. On October 19, 59 people were killed and over 50 were injured after being run over by a train as they watched Dussehra celebrations.