Police commando, photojournalist injured during clashes in Amritsar

Earlier in the day, Punjab Police removed protesters staging a sit-in on the tracks, demanding action against the driver and resignation of local bodies minister Navjot Singh Sidhu.

A police commando and a photojournalist were injured on Sunday when protesters hurled stones and clashed with security personnel who removed them from a rail track where 61 Dussehra revellers were mowed down by a train.

Police officers chase away protestors after stones were pelted on them while preparing the resumption of railway services, at Dhobi Ghat near Jaura Fatak in Amritsar on Sunday.(Sameer Sehgal / HT photo)

“The protesters blocking the tracks were removed and train services resumed this afternoon, 40 hours after the Friday’s horrific accident,” a railway spokesperson said.

A case under attempt to murder has been registered against 50 unidentified people. “A policemen received severe injuries during stone pelting. We have registered a case under sections 307 (attempt to murder), 148 (rioting, armed with deadly weapon), 149 (every member of unlawful assembly guilty of offence committed in prosecution of common object), 186 (obstructing public servant in discharge of public functions), 120-B (punishment of criminal conspiracy) of the IPC against 50 unidentified people,” a police spokesperson said.

“Train services resumed on the affected rail track near Jaura Phatak,” senior divisional security commissioner (Railways), Ferozepur division, S Sudhakar said. The first goods train started from Manawala to Amritsar at 2.16 pm, said Northern Railways spokesperson Deepak Kumar.

Earlier in the day, Punjab Police removed protesters staging a sit-in on the tracks, demanding action against the driver and resignation of local bodies minister Navjot Singh Sidhu. The crowd resorted to stone-pelting and clashed with security personnel, officials said.

Police had deployed its personnel, including commandoes, at the site. The Rapid Action Force was also present at the Jaura Phatak area, officials said.

Chief minister Amarinder Singh has directed the Amritsar administration to prepare detailed socio-economic profiles of the victims. He told chief principal secretary Suresh Kumar that the government needed to do more than just giving ~5 lakh ex gratia, especially in cases where victims were poor. He announced that a proper system would be worked out to ensure that such survivors were rehabilitated by the state at the earliest.