Punjab minister Navjot Singh Sidhu on Sunday, 21 October, refused to react to the SAD's demands for his dismissal and lodging of an FIR against his wife Navjot Kaur Sidhu, over the Amritsar train incident on Dussehra.
“Anything else, anything else, anything else... No comments,” Sidhu said in a curt reply to the media's query on Shiromani Akali Dal's demands.
The opposition Shiromani Akali Dal in Punjab, had demanded immediate sacking of Punjab minister Navjot Singh Sidhu and a judicial probe into the circumstances that led to the train accident near a Dussehra event in Amritsar on Friday, 19 October, in which at least 62 people died.
During a core committee meeting of the party, SAD chief Sukhbir Singh Badal also sought registration of murder cases against Sidhu’s wife Navjot Kaur Sidhu, the chief guest at the event, and organisers of the function, holding them responsible for the accident.
Senior Akali leader Bikram Singh Majithia had accused Navjot Kaur Sidhu of running away from the mishap site, alleging that she had left the venue without bothering for the victims.
Majithia had also claimed that the burning of Ravana's effigy was delayed, as Sidhu's wife, who was the chief guest, was running late for the event.
Navjot Kaur Sidhu, however, had said she came to know about the "tragic incident" after she had left the venue. She had added that soon after coming to know of the incident, she had gone to the hospital to see the patients. She had also claimed that being a doctor herself, she had even personally treated some of the victims, besides arranging for some more doctors to attend on them.
Cabinet minister Navjot Singh Sidhu on Saturday, 20 October, had defended his wife, saying that she was with the victims when the allegations were being leveled against her.
I fought elections from here because of my wife. She has been working here. Last night, when accusations were being levelled against her, she was with patients. She called me up yesterday. She came to know of the incident before reaching home,” Sidhu had said Saturday, adding the incident should not be given a “political colour”.Navjot Singh Sidhu
SAD had also alleged that the Congress government has instituted a "tailor made inquiry" and was trying to put the blame "squarely on the Railways".
"This was being done despite the fact that the victim families were ready to present irrefutable evidence against a Congress councillor as well as Navjot Kaur Sidhu for abetting the tragedy," the party said.
"Keeping all these facts into account there was no possibility of a free and fair inquiry by a magistrate who was reporting to cabinet minister Navjot Sidhu and his family," the party release stated.
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