Indian Defence Review

The train massacre at Amritsar on Dussehra resulting in the death of 61 and injuring 72 has shaken the nation. There is no point blaming the Railways as well as the train driver. The speed of the train has not been mentioned but the fact that the scene of tragedy, Jofa Fatak area, was just 2.5 km from the Golden Temple implies the train had entered the city of Amritsar, the driver would be reducing speed and was constant blowing of the horn was not warranted.  It is also confirmed that neither the Railways were informed of the event, nor any permission taken. Had this been done, at least the train drivers could have been warned to be on the lookout even if the timing of the event intimated were overshot.

Chief Minister Amrinder Singh has ordered a magisterial inquiry into the accident after visiting the site of the massacre and has ordered immediate release of Rs 3 crore for payment of ex-gratia to families of the deceased; Rs 5 lakh to next of kin of each deceased. A crisis management group, headed by Health Minister of Punjab, has been set up to monitor relief and rehabilitation efforts. The Divisional Commissioner of Jalandhar has been entrusted with the magisterial inquiry, four weeks having been given to him for fixing the blame as to who is at fault. Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh has assured all possible help.

The political war of words, aided by the electronic media, is running full speed. Even the timing of the politician chief guest, leaving the massacre site is under question. But the visuals of the scene of the gory massacre are quite explicit. The constricted space was overflowing with spectators watching the burning of Ravana. People not only had spilled over on to the railway tracks but were even across on both sides. There was a time in India when Ravan was shot at and burned at the stroke of sunset, but not anymore. Now this happens well after dark giving time for crowds to suitably enlarge to impress VVIPs and of course the Chief Guest who invariably come late. Where the burning of Ravana is organized concurrent to a mela, the burning gets delayed to 7.30 or 8 PM to facilitate mela sales. 

The scene in the instant case was eyes of the crowd riveted onto the burning of Ravana well after dark. None noticed the approaching train, the sound drowned due to the exploding crackers. Normally anyone standing on the tracks would even sense the vibrations of the approaching train from a distance but this too was perhaps not noticeable in the din and jostling of the crowd. So, the train mercilessly bore down on the unfortunate ones, too late for the driver whose attention would also be on the fire and the fireworks. Logically, there should have been police at the site. There is no mention; but if they were there, they would have been focused on security of the Chief Guest and the VVIPs. But what about safety of the crowd in this environment of enlarging terror threat, Pakistan pumping narcotics into Punjab, making every effort to destabilize Punjab and funding revival of the Khalistan movement?

Logically there should have been enough police to monitor the crowd against terrorist attacks, with lookouts along the railway tracks. There is no mention of what the quantum of police was on the site, what were the tasks allotted to them and whether they even had megaphones for crowd control and conveying warning to them in the event of suspicious terrorist activity of terrorist attack in order to avoid stampede and save on avoidably casualties. Whether such aspects will be covered in the magisterial inquiry is also questionable, given our short memories with the inquiry given four weeks by which time another event will overtake public attention from this one.      

Media does not mention who the organizers of the event are but obviously they would be a committee like elsewhere in India that deal with Dussehra, Ram Lila, Diwali celebrations etc. Such committee would be voluntary and would include politicians as well, at least as patrons. The public at such events are large, lackadaisical and include revelers who have scant regard for even own safety. Individuals standing on the railway tracks are blame worthy, but so are the organizers, and the administration including the police. Organizers may be blamed largely but cannot be blamed exclusively. To say that since the height of Ravana had been raised more than last year, there were more crowds is naïve. We have an ongoing craze for heights, even a 300 foot flagpole for the national flag, for which the flag had to be imported, since the indigenous one couldn’t withstand the winds and was torn to shreds on the very first day.

The Amritsar train massacre is being described as ‘Natural Accident’, ‘God’s Fury’ and what not but this innocuously looking natural massacre could have been a well terror act. The setting, crowd chaos, laxity in security of the administration and the police unless a Minister, CM or PM are to attend, could all be visualized in advance, as would the timing of burning of Ravana after dark. With approaching elections, the time is ripe for terror acts; spread panic and create distrust. Intelligence agencies have already indicate a prominent politician who Pakistan’s ISI has paid Rs 1300 crores to destabilize Punjab and assist Sikh separatists (https://www.indiandefencereview.com/news/who-took-oath-imran-khan-or-taliban-khan/). Though he is not a Punjab politician, why he has not been jailed and put through the ringer remains a mystery.

All that was needed was to bribe odd member (s) amongst organizers by few crores to engineer the act, even synchronize the exploding of crackers with a lookout signaling the approaching train. Not that such sabotage was on account of organizers being bribed only; they could have been instructed by ‘anyone’ the time to set Ravana’s effigy on fire. That we need much more caution with Diwali approaching needs little emphasis.