23 bodies buried in Panipat village still not identified

Mukesh Tandon

Tribune News Service

Panipat, March 20

People have not forgotten the horrific sight of Samjhauta passengers getting burnt alive near the village. A total of 23 bodies buried in the graveyard at Mehrana village, near here, are yet to be identified.

The bodies of 29 victims were buried in the graveyard. Ishwar Singh Kadiyan (65) of Sewah village said he was returning from the fields around midnight on February 18 when he saw the coaches burning.

“First I mistook the flames to be lights. When the train stopped near my house, adjacent to the tracks, I got off my bicycle after hearing the cries of passengers,” he said.

He raised the alarm and asked villagers to rush for aid, he said. Initially, between 40 and 50 villagers with buckets in their hands assembled near the burning train, he added.

“People who had buckets attempted to douse flames by taking water from a pond nearby. Others started throwing sand in a bid to save passengers, but to no avail,” he further said.

“I got a call on my landline about the burning of coaches,” said Karan Singh (70), ex-serviceman and then sarpanch of Siwah village. 

“By the time I reached the spot around 1 am, people living adjacent to the tracks were trying to douse the flames. All efforts went in vain and 69 persons were killed,” he recalled.