How was I responsible: Sidhu’s wife on clean chit in Amritsar tragedy

The former legislator and ex-chief parliamentary secretary was the chief guest at the Dussehra festival near Joda Phatak when the diesel multiple unit train crushed those standing on the railway tracks to watch the Ravan effigy’s burning. Sixty people lost their lives and an equal number were injured in the tragedy.

Navjot Kaur Sidhu, the wife of Punjab cabinet minister Navjot Singh Sidhu, on Thursday welcomed the magisterial probe clearing her of any responsibility for the Amritsar Dussehra tragedy.

Amritsar: Navjot Kaur Sidhu, wife of Punjab minister of Tourism, Cultural Affairs coming out of a hospital after enquiring about the well being of victims of the Dussehra tragedy in Amritsar (PTI File Photo) (PTI)

“If I am called to attend an event and an incident takes place there, then how am I responsible for it? These are attempts to malign the name of Sidhu family,” Navjot Kaur told ANI.

The former legislator and ex-chief parliamentary secretary was the chief guest at the Dussehra festival near Joda Phatak when the diesel multiple unit train crushed those standing on the railway tracks to watch the Ravan effigy’s burning. Sixty people lost their lives and an equal number were injured in the tragedy.

Opposition leaders and locals alleged that Navjot Kaur fled the scene after the train mowed down the people.

There are allegations that the event was organised without mandatory permissions, which had to be given by the municipal corporation which falls under the local government department headed by Sidhu. The main organizer of the event, Saurabh Madan Mithoo, is a close political aide of the Sidhu couple.

Senior IAS officer B. Purushartha, who was conducting the inquiry into the tragedy, had asked the Sidhu couple to appear before the commission last month.