Amritsar: In a tragic turn of events, a man who essayed the role of Ravana at a Ramlila event in the city was among those killed when a train mowed down Dussehra revellers Friday evening.
He has been identified as Dalbir Singh who used to act in Ramlila and had earlier played Hanuman, Ram Chandra and Laxman’s role. This was the first time he had played the demon king Ravana, his mother Swaran Kaur said.
Demanding justice for Dalbir, she said the government must give his widow a job as Singh is survived with an 8-month old baby.
Dalbir’s brother Balbir said he died while trying to help others. “We had gone to celebrate Dussehra and Dalbir had gone to take his trophy (for playing Ravana). After he took his trophy, he saw the train coming and went to help people. He dragged around seven to eight people from coming under the train and accidentally his foot got stuck there. The train ran over him,” he said. “He was the sole breadwinner of this family. The government should think about his eight-month-old daughter and wife.
At least 60 people, including women and children, were killed when a local train ran over a crowd sitting on the track and watching a Ravana effigy burn during Dussehra celebrations.
Over 700 people were watching the huge Ravana effigy going up in flames amid exploding crackers at the Jora Phatak near Dhobi Ghat within Amritsar city when the Jalandhar-Amritsar DMU passenger train coming to Amritsar from Hoshiarpur came hurtling down around 7 pm.
It took just about 10-15 seconds for the train to pass — and leave behind a heap of crushed and dismembered bodies.
The role of train driver, railway officials and local authorities, who gave permission for holding of the event close to the railway tracks, is being probed, police officials said.
Eyewitnesses said the victims were either watching the burning of Ravana and recording the event on their mobile when the incident occurred.
Agencies