Govt Mos Rules out ‘Mandatory’ Probe by Commissioner of Railway Safety Held After Each Accident

RNI No.2016/1957, REGD NO. SSP/LW/NP-34/2016-18 Follow us on: @TheDailyPioneer facebook.com/dailypioneer instagram.com/dailypioneer/ Established 1864 Late City Vol. 154 Issue 282 Published From *Air Surcharge Extra if Applicable NATION 5 WORLD 7 SPORT 10 DELHI LUCKNOW BHOPAL MODI, WICKREMESINGHE HOLD TALKS, 170 KILLED AS VIOLENCE ENG WRAP ODI BHUBANESWAR RANCHI ROCKS AFGHAN POLLS SERIES AGAINST SL RAIPUR CHANDIGARH INDIA AIDED PROJECTS DISCUSSED DEHRADUN LUCKNOW, SUNDAY OCTOBER 21, 2018; PAGES 12+8 `3 www.dailypioneer.com USUALSUSPECTS SWAPAN DASGUPTA Amritsar tragedy not Rlys’ fault: Govt MoS rules out ‘mandatory’ probe by Commissioner of Railway Safety held after each accident Guild can’t tell Akbar train. “There was a curve. The driver couldn’t have seen it. What should we order an enquiry for? Trains travel in Artiste ‘Ravan’ saves not to move court speed only,” said Sinha when he was asked if an enquiry would he #MeToo campaign arrived in India with a bang and left be ordered against the driver. Ta trail of devastation. A Minister at the Centre has been Lohani explained the acci- 8 but loses his life compelled to resign, many editors and journalists have been dent site falls under the “mid- asked to leave their posts, some important figures in section of the two stations” PTI n AMRITSAR Bollywood are under a cloud and there is pressure on where the trains run at their companies to terminate the contracts of important figures in “assigned speed” as per the he man who played the media, advertising and public relations. This may only be the condition of the track. “Trains Tcharacter of demon king beginning. There are some indications that others, including run at their assigned speed and Ravan at the Ram Leela at Joda politicians, could be in the line of fire. people are not expected to go Phatak was among those killed That the campaign to name and shame those who have on tracks,” he said. in the train accident. acted indecorously with women colleagues and, worse, Northern Railways After he enacted the role misused their power to demand sexual favours from women spokesperson Deepak Kumar of Ravan, Dalbir Singh, in his constitutes an important step forward is undeniable. There is said neither the area adminis- twenties, was watching the a seamy side to the outward social conservatism of Indian tration nor the organisers burning of an effigy from the society that needed to be cleansed. #MeToo may not have informed it about any Dusshera tracks when he, along with 58 thing else in store for him as done so entirely but at least it has injected fear in the minds ceremony at the spot. others, was run over by a the train ran over him, killing of men who somehow believed that power and status entitled “Therefore granting permission train. him on the spot,” he said. them to misbehave and prey on vulnerable women. If, at the from the Railways does not Another friend of Dalbir Dalbir has an eight- end of the day, #MeToo succeeds in making the environment arise,” he added. No informa- said that on seeing a speeding month-old daughter. Unable to of the workplace more wholesome for women, its contribution Mass funeral of victims of rail accident in Amritsar on Saturday PTI tion about the event was given train approaching the area, he control her emotions, Dalbir to nation building would have been immeasurable. If nothing to the Railway authorities by had rushed towards them to Singh’s mother said her son else, the conspiracy of silence that accompanied the worst PNS n NEW DELHI such events near tracks. informed the event was organ- the civil administration.” save them. was playing different charac- offences has been broken. For his part, Lohani said, ised near the railway tracks and So far, all accidents, besides “Dalbir was able to push 7 ters in the Ram Leela for the Yet, like most movements that are accompanied by a day after a train mowed “The Commission conducts the people did not hear the Railways doing its own enquiry, to 8 people away from the rail past many years. combination of zeal, euphoria and anger, there are bound to Adown 61 Dussehra rev- statutory investigation into rail- train coming. It is extremely are done by the CRS. track...But there was some- Turn to Page 6 be negative consequences. Pointing these out does not ellers standing on railway way accidents. This was an inci- sad,” Sinha told reporters while Turn to Page 6 either devalue the courage shown by those women who have tracks to watch Ravan dahan in dent where people were tres- leaving for Amritsar. truthfully narrated their own horrible experiences or imply any Amritsar, the Railways on passing on the tracks and not When asked whether the defence of those who ran riot with impunity and man who Saturday asserted that it is not an accident.” railways were aware of the cel- believed demanding sexual favours was part of their responsible for the tragedy and The CRS enquiry is man- ebrations taking place near the entitlement. ruled out the mandatory probe dated for any rail accidents to railway tracks, he said, Train tragedy: Capt sets 4 The most frightening of the adverse consequences is the by the Commissioner of enquire into the reasons relat- “Railways did not have infor- ‘politically correct’ view that all testimonies of ‘survivors’ must Railway Safety (CRS). It refused ed to the accidents on rail mation about the celebration. be implicitly believed and acted on, particularly if the finger is to take any punitive action tracks and thereby, prepare a I spoke to the railway officials, pointed at powerful men. In an article in The Telegraph, against the driver of the train. dossier so that such a case is they did not know. It is the weeks’ deadline for probe Mukul Kesavan argued: “If Union Minister of State prevented in future. In this responsibility of the local proof beyond reasonable (MoS) for Railways Manoj case, though the accident took administration, which should The Editor's Guild has a doubt for a crime is Sinha and Railway Board place on the rail tracks, the rail- be careful about such events.” Magisterial enquiry impossible to produce Chairman Ashwani Lohani ways has made it clear it was The Minister said the venue right to back the defence, because it’s committed in both went on record main- not at fault for once. was nearly 70 metres from the to suggest steps to especially if it thinks that a private by powerful men taining that the tragedy was not Responding to a query, accident spot which was not of whose influence stops due to the Railways’ fault. Sinha said that as per his infor- the Railways. prevent recurrence larger question — the victims from speaking out, Sinha said there was no negli- mation, no permission had Giving clean chit to train dignity of women in the it becomes reasonable for gence on the part of the nation- been sought or intimation driver, the Minister said drivers PNS n AMRITSAR people to make up their al transporter even as he given for the Dussehra event at are given specific instructions profession — is involved. own minds about the advised people not to organise Amritsar. “I have been on where to slow down the unjab Chief Minister balance of probability. If PCaptain Amarinder Singh It has no right to suggest we don’t want to relax the on Saturday set a four-week that a citizen should avoid standard of proof for deadline for the completion of crimes, one way of BJP sweeps CBI files FIR against enquiry by the Jalandhar the law courts and leave tackling abuse legally Divisional Commissioner into the matter to be judged in would be to make the the tragic train accident in Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh and Minister Navjot Singh Sidhu judicial system more J&K polls Spl Director Asthana Amritsar. visit a victim of the train accident at Jodh Phatak, at Civil Hospital in Amritsar on the court of public opinion receptive to civil suits Within hours, the Punjab Saturday PTI where the balance of PNS n NEW DELHI FIR also mentions RAW’s Home Department issued a alone. There can't be one probability suffices to unopposed second-in- command notification directing taken against those responsi- The 3-member Crisis norm for journalists and a determine guilt. In the he CBI has booked its own Samant Kumar Goel’s Divisional Commissioner, ble for the tragedy once the Management Group, headed absence of such a system, MOHIT KANDHARI n JAMMU TSpecial Director Rakesh Jalandhar, Baldeo Purushartha, enquiry report comes. The by Health Minister Brahm different one for lapsed we are left with public Asthana for accepting `2 crore bids to close case against to conduct an enquiry into the probe will cover all aspects of Mohindra, will camp in journalists and politicians opinion.” Likewise, relating aking advantage of the bribe to sabotage the probe Moin Qureshi Amritsar tragedy. the tragedy, he added. Amritsar as long as they are to a #MeToo allegation Tabsence of mainstream against controversial meat The enquiry has been At the same time, the needed to monitor and assist involving an editor, N Ram political parties — National exporter Moin Qureshi. Samant Kumar Goel, was part of authorised “to conduct a thor- Chief Minister urged all polit- in the relief operations, said the expressed his satisfaction that his organisation didn’t take “a Conference and the Peoples The CBI’s Anti-Corruption the extortion gang in the CBI and ough probe into the unfortu- ical parties to rise above petty Chief Minister.

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