Amritsar train accident: BJP demands action against Navjot Kaur, organiser

Navjot Kaur Sidhu was the chief guest at the event held on Friday. She was accused of leaving the site of accident without bothering about the victims

The BJP on Saturday demanded the arrest of former MLA Navjot Kaur Sidhu and the organiser of the Dussehra celebrations in Joda Phatak here, where at least 59 people were killed after being run over by a train.

Navjot Kaur Sidhu, the wife of Punjab minister Navjot Singh Sidhu, was the chief guest at the event held on Friday. She was accused of leaving the site of accident without bothering about the victims.

"(Navjot Kaur) Sidhu's lie that she was not aware of the people standing on the railway tracks is exposed. She is repeatedly being told, according to new video evidence, that there are people on the tracks and even if the trains arrive, nothing will happen to them," senior BJP leader Rajinder Mohan Singh Chinna said in a statement.

He said the inquiry ordered into the incident by Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh was a "mere eyewash".
 

He alleged that Navjot Kaur Sidhu and Navjot Singh Sidhu were telling "one lie after another".

Earlier on Saturday, Navjot Kaur Sidhu said several announcements were made from the stage at the event, requesting people to come inside the Dhobi ghat to watch the burning effigies.

The families who have lost their loved ones have been ruined and the Sidhus are trying to save themselves, Chinna said, adding that the incident was a "major administrative failure".

"The organisers seemed to have no regard for the law and the rules," he said.
 

He claimed that a video of the incident showed the organisers goading the people to stay on the railway track to appease Navjot Kaur Sidhu.

"Words are not enough to mourn the Amritsar train tragedy that claimed so many innocent lives. The incident needs to be probed as it casts a serious question on administration," he said.

The BJP leader said responsibility must be fixed from the top of the administration and not from the bottom.

At the time of the tragic incident on Friday, at least 300 people were watching the 'Ravana dahan' at the ground adjacent to the elevated rail tracks.