Neha Saini in Amritsar

A year has gone by, but life for the families of victims of the Jaura Phatak train tragedy remains on the edge. The horrific flashes of the fateful evening of October 19, 2018 are still fresh, and the healing process looks like a far stretch, much like their demand of punishing the “guilty”, especially when the authorities feel that those who died or got injured were to blame for their fate and no one else.

Deepak lost his father Girinder Kumar and uncle Pawan Kumar that day. The 21-year-old is still unable to come to terms with what happened within a matter of seconds. “It’s been a year and we have still not got justice. We have decided to sit on the railway tracks as a mark of protest on Dasehra to let the government know that they cannot take us for a ride with their false promises,” he says.

“We know it will be wrong to block the tracks,” he adds, “but we are left with no other option to make ourselves heard. We never got the support as promised by the Sidhu couple and other officials to get our life back on track.” The area (Amritsar-East) MLA and then a Cabinet Minister, Navjot Singh Sidhu, and his wife, former MLA from the same area, Navjot Kaur Sidhu, are accused of backtracking on their promises.

Navjot Kaur was the chief guest at the Dasehra function when tragedy struck. Immediately after, the Sidhus had reportedly promised government jobs for the kin of the victims and also support for the education of their children. At loggerheads with Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh, Sidhu formally resigned as a minister on July 14 this year and has since then made only a rare public appearance. He did visit his constituency, Amritsar (East), to oversee developmental projects briefly.

Looking for answers

“We did get compensation from the state and Central governments. But is money a replacement for the loved ones? What about punishing those responsible for the death of so many innocent people and children?” questions Vijay Kumar, whose 16-year-old son Munish was among the victims.

“Till date, the Sidhus have not visited us, leave aside fulfilling their promises. Navjot Kaur met us at her residence once and her team would constantly assure us that we would get jobs. We feel cheated and abandoned,” says Deepak. A graduate in hotel management, he aspired to migrate. “My father and uncle were fruit vendors and we live in a joint family. After their demise, a major chunk of the compensation money went into paying loans they had taken for our education. I have two younger siblings and my uncle’s three kids are also quite young. All the responsibility now rests on my shoulders and I have been running from one office to the other for the job that was promised,” he adds.

According to the list prepared by the district administration, 38 members of the victims’ families are waiting for jobs.

Left to own resources

Vijay Kumar, who runs a small workshop in the area, terms the lackadaisical approach of officials “torturous”. “Our wounds are still fresh and we are being forced to run from one person to another, like beggars, asking for help that we were promised. We repeatedly approached the Sidhus, but were ignored. It’s not about jobs or money. We want the culprits responsible for the mishap to be punished.”

For a few months after the accident, Jaura Phatak residents saw high-profile visits, but it has been quiet the past six months. “Most local leaders are trying to gain political mileage out of our tragedy. Some of them have also approached us to share the political platform. But we know that none empathises with us,” shares Navjit Singh, a driver, who lost his 16-year-old son Sachin in the tragedy.

“With Rs 5 lakh from the state and Rs 2 lakh from the Centre, they expect us to forget and forgive. Is it that easy?” he asks. “Why was the inquiry report not made public? Why was the train driver given a clean chit? How come the railway officials have not been held accountable? Why is the local councillor who organised the Dasehra celebration not behind bars yet? All the guilty parties have joined hands and we await justice,” he rues.

Most of the victims belonged to migrant families from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. A few have moved back to their villages, while some have chosen to stay put. Like Preeti, 27, who lost her husband, Dinesh, 30, and nine-year-old son Abhishek. A migrant labour from UP, Dinesh had gone to see effigies being burnt with Preeti and their two kids as the big LED screen fascinated him. “That day destroyed my family, took my child away from me in in an instant,” says Preeti, tears flowing freely. As if the loss was not enough, Preeti was duped of the compensation money by her brother-in-law. “Since I did not have a bank account at the time, he opened a joint account. Once we received the compensation, he withdrew Rs 2.5 lakh and ran away. I filed an FIR and my account was frozen. It’s been six months, I have not been able to use the money and have no other means to support myself and my three-year-old son Aarush,” she says. Being illiterate, she doesn’t know the procedures involved in getting the compensation money accessed. “No one comes to my aid.”

Similar is the story of Monika, who lost her husband Jagdish. Monika was also grievously injured. “I received free treatment for a month and later we bought the medicines or visited private clinics for further treatment. I have two kids, Sonia, 19, and Anup, 18. Both were studying but now are working to support the family.” She says that a job or free education would at least ensure a future for her children.

Bindu Pandey, who lost her 16-year-old son Bhuvi, shares the same grievance. “People think that giving us money is enough help to get on with our lives. It’s like money will improve our living conditions and ensure that our kids will come back. I have a disabled son and a young daughter who wants to pursue higher education. Will the money last forever?” she says.

Zero accountability

The repeated protests and dharnas staged by the families of the victims have had no impact. The Sidhus remained unavailable for comments as their PA, Gaurav, said the couple is in Jammu for paying obeisance at Vaishno Devi shrine and will only come after the end of Navratras, The councillor of the area, Saurabh Madaan alias Mithu Madaan, too remained unavailable for comments.

The area surrounding the tracks still does not have a boundary wall though the railway authorities said after the time mishap that they would build one to ensure no trespassing happens.

Double blow for this family

Jaura Phatak falls under Amritsar East constituency and had decidedly pro-Sidhu electoral leanings before the mishap. “We had been working with Navjot Sidhu and his wife when he was in the BJP. But all that was forgotten in an instant as instead of helping us, they shunned their responsibility. We were given the compensation money as if it could last a lifetime,” says a distraught Swaran Kaur, mother of Dalbir Singh, who died in the tragedy. Dalbir’s story was widely covered as he died saving two lives while returning from the Ramlila event where he used to play Raavan. For Swaran, her son’s death caused a double blow. “My daughter-in-law left with my granddaughter and the compensation amount also was divided. I have my elder son Balbir, who earns a meagre living by helping me with a small kiryana store. A job for him would mean we could spend the rest of our life at least with a semblance of normalcy.”