Protests continue at train accident site in Amritsar

Police said locals are sitting on railway tracks and refusing to leave

Protests continue at train accident site in Amritsar Relatives and friends raise slogans against the government at the site of the railway accident | AFP

The situation remained tense on Sunday as locals continued with their sit-in at Joda Patak where over 60 Dussehra revellers were mowed down by a train.

The locals had started protesting on Saturday, raising slogans against the state government and demanding action against the train's driver, a day after the accident here.

Police said locals are sitting on railway tracks and refusing to leave.

“We hope that the normalcy will be restored in the area by Sunday evening as the number of protestors have come down since Saturday,” a senior police officer said.

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The Punjab Police has deployed its personnel, including commandos, to manage the crowd. The Rapid Action Force is also present in the Joda Patak area.

The district administration has said out of the 60 people mowed down by the speeding Jalandhar-Amritsar train on Friday, 40 have been identified.

The process of identifying the other persons is underway, it said.

Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh, who visited the accident site on Saturday, has ordered a magisterial inquiry into the incident.