E-Paper
Amritsar Dussehra train tragedy: Main accused, 5 others get anticipatory bail
The special investigation team (SIT) of the Government Railway Police (GRP), formed to fix responsibility for the tragedy, had filed a chargesheet against seven organisers of the event before duty magistrate Harpreet Singh on June 6
A court in Amritsar on Thursday granted anticipatory bail to six of the seven accused, including former Punjab minister Navjot Singh Sidhu’s close aide Saurabh Madan alias Mithu Madan, in the 2018 Dussehra train tragedy case.
The special investigation team (SIT) of the Government Railway Police (GRP), formed to fix responsibility for the tragedy, had filed a chargesheet against seven organisers of the event before duty magistrate Harpreet Singh on June 6.
In the chargesheet, the SIT has named Dussehra committee office-bearers Mithu Madan, Rahul Kalyan, Deepak Kumar, Karan Bhandari, Kabal Singh, Deepak Gupta and Bhupinder Singh as accused under Sections 304-A, 337 and 338 of the Indian Penal Code.
Mithu is son of a Congress councilor.
All the accused, barring Rahul Kalyan, had filed for bail application.
The matter was heard in the court of judicial magistrate (first class) Rajan Aneja.
“It was expected that the accused would get bail easily as the SIT submitted the chargesheet before making their arrests. Even the charges were diluted in the chargesheet. Filing of the weak chargesheet has helped the accused secure the bail, said Verka,” said advocate Sarabjit Singh Verka of the Punjab Human Rights Organisation (PHRO).
The SIT had filed the chargesheet without arresting the accused, and by removing Section 304 (imprisonment for a term which may extend to 10 years and shall also be liable to fine) of the IPC against them.
The court has fixed the next date of the hearing on September 3.
On October 19, 2018, a speeding train mowed down 61 persons and injured more than 100 people who had gathered for Dussehra celebrations at Dhobi Ghat near Jaura Phatak in Amritsar.
The magisterial inquiry conducted by Jalandhar divisional commissioner B Purushartha on the orders of Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh had held the event organisers accountable for various acts of omission and commission that led to the tragedy.
