Railways relents, agrees to probe Amritsar tragedy

A day after the accident on October 19, the railways had termed it a “case of trespassing”. The probe will begin on Sunday (November 4), according to a notification issued by the Northern Railway.

Through the notification, the Railways has invited people who have information regarding the accident to depose before the Chief Commissioner of Railway Safety (CCRS), Sailesh Pathak, at the premises of the Railway Mechanical Workshop, Amritsar. It will continue till November 5. Despite refusing a CRS probe earlier, the Railways, however, said since the CCRS can conduct an inquiry even in those cases where it is not mandatory as per law and rules, it will do the same in this case as well. It said the accident has “become a matter of great public discourse”, especially raising concerns about the safety of people trespassing on railway tracks.

“Gurjeet Singh Aujla, MP from Amritsar, met Minister of Railways Piyush Goyal and personally handed over his letter dated October 23 and requested for an inquiry by Commissioner of Railway Safety (CRS) in this incident. The Ministry of Railways has considered this request and other facts, circumstances and legal provisions,” the Railways said.