Protesters, police clash at Amritsar crash site

Amritsar: A police commando and a photojournalist were injured on Sunday when protesters pelted stones and clashed with security personnel who removed them from a rail track where 59 Dasara revellers were mowed down by a train, officials said, adding traffic was restored on the route.

The agitated protesters blocking the track were removed and train services resumed this afternoon with the movement of a goods train, 40 hours after the horrific accident.

The first passenger train Amritsar-Gorakhpur express started at 7 Pm, Northern Railway spokesperson Deepak Kumar said. On Friday evening, a gathering of more than 300 people were on the tracks to watch the burning of a Ravana effigy when the speeding train struck leaving 59 dead and scores injured.

The railways got the clearance from local authorities at 12.30 pm to restore services, the railway spokesperson said.

Meanwhile, the Congress questioned the railways over its decision not to initiate a probe into the Amritsar train accident.

At a press conference, party spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi said while his party’s first concern remained the rehabilitation and relief of those injured and those who had lost their loved ones, it was “cruel” of the railways to reject an inquiry into the incident.