Amritsar Train Accident: Driver claims he applied emergency brakes, sped after people started stone pelting

The driver of the Amritsar DMU train that ran over Dussehra revellers and killed 59 of them on Friday evening has claimed that he tried to stop the train by applying emergency brakes but sped after people started pelting stones at the train.

“Suddenly I saw a crowd of people near the track. I constantly sounded the horn as I immediately applied the emergency brake. Despite applying the emergency brakes, some people were run over by the train. The train was almost coming to a halt when a very large crowd started attacking the train by throwing stones. Considering the safety of my passengers, I proceeded with the train,” loco driver Arvind Kumar said in his written statement to the Railways authorities.

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However, eyewitness accounts and mobile videos of the incident were completely opposite to Kumar’s claim. Videos circulating on social media showed a speeding train crushed the crowd and it never looked the driver applied emergency brakes.

Despite the two opposite versions, the Commissioner of Railway Safety (CRS) will not probe the tragic train accident – year’s biggest railway mishap. The Railways refused to accept the incident a railway accident and termed it “clear case of trespassing”. The Railways consider humans on the tracks as an unlawful obstruction.

“The Commission conducts a statutory investigation into railway accidents. This was an incident where people were trespassing on the tracks and not an accident,” Railway Board chairman said.

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The Railways has maintained that it was not at fault because it had no information about the Dussehra event and that it would not take action against the train driver.

“The incident was not a railways’ fault. There was no lapse on our part and no action against the driver will be initiated,” Minister of State for Railways Manoj Sinha said Saturday.