In a major tragedy, at least 60 people, including women and children, were killed after a train ran them over when they were gathered at a crossing to watch burning of Ravana’s effigy at Jora Phatak near Amritsar on Friday evening. Reports said that at Dussehra celebration around 500-600 people were standing near the railway tracks to watch a Ravan effigy being burnt and could not hear the sound of the train due to burning of firecrackers. Dr Navjot Kaur Sidhu, wife of Punjab Local Government Minister Navjot Singh Sidhu, was the chief guest at the Dussehra function. After the tragedy, she left the venue in her car.
According to Amritsar Police Commissioner SS Srivastava, at least fifty people have died in this tragedy. “We are still assessing the number of casualties,” he added. Meanwhile, the Punjab Government has announced Rs 5 lakh for th e families of each person killed in the accident and free treatment for the injured.