Kila Raipur rly staff remember 1991 massacre victims

Mahesh Sharma

Mandi Ahmedgarh, June 15

Continuing the gesture being exhibited for the past 26 years, members of the Kilaraipur railway station staff, along with members of their families, organised ‘chhabeel’ and langar to remember 80 Hindus massacred by militants at Baddowal and Kila Raipur station on June 15, 1991.

Expressing sympathy with the families of those killed by militants of the Khalistan Liberation Force, the volunteers prayed for communal harmony and peace in the region.

Event convener Satnam Singh and Bahadur Singh, in-charge of the railway station, said families of the railway staff had been remembering the victims by organising ‘chhabeel’ on this day every year.

The organisers said on June 15, 1991, militants had killed at least 80 passengers travelling in two trains at Baddowal on the Ludhiana-Ferozepur railway line and at the Kila Raipur railway station on Ludhiana-Dhuri rail track. Many Sikhs who tried to save their Hindu co-passengers were also injured in the incidents.

Rajinder Kumar, a resident and one of the survivors of the attacks, said it was a nightmare for all passengers. “Recollection of the incident makes us shiver. We had experienced death staring us in the face,” said Rajinder Kumar.

Majority of the survivors were so frightened that they kept lying inside the compartments even after the arrival of the rescue teams and security personnel, he said.