Residents stage protest by sitting on tracks at accident site

Scores of people Saturday staged a sit-in on the railway tracks where 61 people were mowed down by a train during a Dussehra event.

The protesters raised slogans against the state government and demanded action against the train driver.

One of the protesters alleged the train passed the area at a high speed and that the driver did not slow down the train despite the presence of a large crowd.

At least 61 people were killed and 72 injured Friday evening after a crowd of Dussehra revellers that had spilt onto railway tracks while watching the burning of Ravana effigy was run over by a train near here, officials said.

The train was coming from Jalandhar when the accident occurred at Joda Phatak near Amritsar, where at least 300 people were watching 'Ravana Dahan' at a ground adjacent to the tracks.

Thousands of people have gathered at the accident site since morning. Police have made elaborate arrangements to manage the crowd.