ABP News Exclusive on Amritsar Train Accident: Organiser Saurabh Mithu Madan accepts no permission was taken from Railways

Amritsar Train Accident: When asked about the chief guest Navjot Kaur Sidhu being late, Saurabh Madan alias Mithu Madan said that she was on time for the programme and that everything was running as per the schedule. Earlier, many eyewitnesses had claimed that the tragic Amritsar train accident could have been averted, had Navjot Kaur Sidhu turned up at the venue on time and had the function not been delayed.

Contradicting Amritsar Municipal Corporation Commissioner’s claim, Madan says that they had received permission for the event from the corporation as well as the police authorities./ ABP News Grab

NEW DELHI: After the tragic Amritsar incident where at least 62 people were crushed to death by a train while watching the burning of a Ravana effigy, ABP News talked to 'missing' Saurabh Madan alias Mithu Madan who was the organiser of the event. Madan claimed that all the permissions required to hold the Ravana effigy burning programme at a ground near Joda Phatak in Amritsar were taken from police authorities. While talking to ABP News, Mithu Madan said that after the accident he had got scared. He also said that he was not underground and he was there in Amritsar. “After the accident happened, people were coming to kill me and were pelting stones at my house, therefore, I had to get out of the place,” Madan said. Madan said that he was so scared after the train accident that he could not even go to the hospital to meet the victims. However, now he assured that he will not hide and will go to meet people to know their problems. Claiming innocence, Madan said that during the event, the announcer had many times appealed to the people to get off of the railway tracks but people did not follow. When asked about the chief guest Navjot Kaur Sidhu on being late, he said that she was on time for the programme and that everything was running as per the schedule. Earlier, many eyewitnesses had claimed that the tragic incident could have been averted, had Navjot Kaur Sidhu turned up at the venue on time and had the function not been delayed. To ABP News, he also said: “We did not take any permission of the railway authorities as it was not required. The event was being held inside the boundaries of a ground and not on tracks. We did not organise any program on their area but we followed all the procedures that were listed by the police.” Madan said that the lineman was not given information by the organisers as they had already put up hoardings at Joda Phatak about the event and the whole area was aware of it. Contradicting Amritsar Municipal Corporation Commissioner’s claim, Madan said that they had received permission for the event from the corporation as well as the police authorities. During the interview, it was also revealed that Mithu Madan was organising the Dussehra event for the first time. The event was organised near Joda Phatak in Amritsar, where at least 300 people had gathered to watch ‘Ravana Dahan' at a ground. Adjacent to the ground were railway tracks. At the time when Ravana effigy was burnt, the train from Jalandhar came at high speed and ran through the people. In videos of the incident which have now gone viral on social media sites, it could be seen that in just 10-15 seconds the train left behind a heap of crushed and dismembered bodies.

WATCH EXCLUSIVE ABP NEWS INTERVIEW WITH SAURABH MITHU MADAN -