Three days after 61 people watching burning of Ravana effigy were mowed down by a speeding train , the organiser of Dussehra event at Amritsar’s Dhobi Ghat on Monday released a video clip claiming that they have taken all necessary permissions and safety measures, besides maintaining that repeated announcements were made from the stage to stay away from the railway tracks .
Saurabh Madan alias Mithu, the main organiser of the event and son of local Congress councillor Vijay Madan, alleged that he was being framed by some people who had “personal enmity” against him. Mithu, along with his entire family, had gone into hiding after the kin of the victims in Friday’s tragedy blamed him for the tragedy and demanded registrayion of murder case against him.
Visibly distressed Mithu, in an about one and a half minute-long video which has been going viral on social media, said that there were no lapses from his side. “I had organised the function to get everyone together. We took all permissions...we had earmarked 20-feet space around the Ravan effigy. There was no lapse from my side. We had deployed 100 policemen at the site, besides a fire brigade vehicle and water tanker,” he said in Punjabi in the video shot in an undisclosed location.
He said that the programme was held within the boundary of the Dhobi Ghat ground, “and not on the (railway) lines...we hadn’t put chairs on the railways lines,” he said.
Mithu maintained that the train came suddenly...”and whatever happened was fate. We had already made seven to 10 announcements from the stage asking the people not to stand on the railway lines.”
He alleged that there were “three-four mischievous people with personal enmity against him” who were spreading accusations against him, while appealing to the people not to believe them. “I and my family are very disturbed,” he added.
Punjab police and the Government Railway Police have not initiated any action against Mithu as of now. The GRP has registered an FIR against unknown persons for negligence and culpable homicide.