Virsa Singh Valtoha demands just punishment for the guilty, jobs and compensation for victim families
Amritsar, October 25/Shiromani Akali Dal on Sunday slammed Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh for “shocking insensitivity and heartless indifference to the plight of the families who lost their kin in the Amritsar train tragedy two years ago.
The CM has shown that there is no compassion and sympathy in his heart for the hapless victims. Nor does his conscience seem to bother him about his arrogant refusal to give the jobs that he had then promised to the surviving members of the tragic stricken families, said SAD senior leader and former MLA S. VIrsa Singh Valtoha.
The SAD leader came down heavily against the cruel gimmicks played by senior congress leader Navjot Singh Sidhu with the traumatised families hit by the tragedy. Navjot Singh Sidhu had committed the most inhuman and unpardonable sin and crime of first raising and exploiting and then crushing the sentiment expectations of aggrieved families by promising to adopt the orphans and to bear all expenses including those on their children’s education only to go back on this promise most shamelessly far from fulfilling this promise, Sidhu didn’t even allow the poor families to meet him again.
S. Valtoha reiterated party’s demand for justice the aggrieved families. He expressed solidarity with the families of the victims and man-made the train tragedy that struck innocent people on Dussehra day in 2018. It was a disaster of an unprecedented magnitude which has left deep scars on the lives of the victims’ families.
At least 59 people had lost their lives, and 60 others injured when a train ran ploughed through a crowd that had gathered at Jaura Fatak to watch ‘Ravana’ effigies go up in flames on Dussehra that year. The festival had been organised by the close aide of former minister Navjot Singh Sidhu, where the later’s wife Navjot Kaur Sidhu was the chief guest.
“The tragedy could have been easily avoided if Sidhu couple had displayed even the elementary sense of responsibility by refusing to be associated with an event without appropriate government permission,” said the SAD leader.
S. Valtoha further said multiple inquiries had been held into the case but no action was taken in this regard. The inquiries conducted by the state administration were only aimed at saving the Congressmen who were directly responsible for the tragic incident.
What to expect of action against the then cabinet minister and his wife, even their close aide who organized unauthorized function with their connivance that led to the mass killing, was also shielded by making the inquiries a cover-up operation,” said the former MLA.
“Despite all evidences, no one has been convicted till date, said S. Valtoha, adding that, “nothing symbolises this non-seriousness and indifference more than the decision of the Congress government of the state to desert the people in their hour of extreme grief.”
Had the government been serious, it could have acted within 24 hours. Even after 2 years, the victim families are still running from pillar to post for punishment to the guilty and for securing the jobs which both Captain and Sidhu had promised to the members of the survivor families,” said the SAD leader.
