Amritsar Dussehra event organiser, who boasted about '5000 standing on tracks', goes missing

Amritsar, Oct 20: Municipal corporation councillor Vijay Madan and her son Sourabh Madan Mithu, the main organisers of the Dussehra celebration in Amritsar where at least 59 people were run over by a passing train, have gone underground with other family members.

According to police, a few people angry over the accident attacked their residence, broke window panes and pelted stones on Saturday. Following this, the Madan family members have gone to an undisclosed location and also switched off their mobile phones. However, police personnel have been deployed at the residence.

Vijay Madan is the sitting councillor from ward number 29 falling under the Amritsar East assembly constituency. The Madan family members were the main organisers of the Dussehra event where the train accident took place.

Congress leader Saurabh Madaan, who had organised the Amritsar Dussehra celebration on the Dhobi Ghat grounds where more than 60 people died after a train ran over the people standing on the tracks watching 'Ravan Dahan', was aware of the people standing on the tracks and yet did little about it, an audio accessed by a leading portal indicated.

In the audio, Madaan could be heard boasting about the people standing on the tracks. In an apparent address to Congres leader Navjot Kaur Sidhu, who was the chief guest at the Dussehra event, Madaan could be heard saying: "Madam look here! These people don't care about standing on the tracks. Even if 500 trains pass by, over 5000 will be standing here for you."

The accident happened when a crowd of Dussehra revellers spilled onto the railway tracks near Joda Phatak and could not see the train approaching them. They were crushed under the wheels of the train coming from Jalandhar and heading towards Amritsar station.

The Indian Railways has said it was not informed by the organisers or the local administration that a Dussehra event was being organised close to railway tracks.

PTI