The evening was thick with excitement. The culmination of days of festivities was nearing. Ravan Effigy burning is the most expectant and extravagant event of the Dusshera celebrations. But the tragedy struck the innocent. The festival revellers were mowed down by Amritsar-Jalandhar passenger mail, taking 61 lives and injuring hundreds.

The sheer magnitude of the negligence on everybody's part is mind-blogging. It was a tragedy waiting to happen. The images and videos of thousands people thronging the rail tracks to get closer look at the festivities and the train zipping past them, is bone chilling. The gory and hallowing stories of people searching the severed limps of their loved ones; father looking for the torso of his young son; wife who lost both her husband and son are coming forth, leaving the nation  speechless with sorrow and heart-wrenched. The shocking casualness relating to statutory permissions for the revelry and fireworks so close to rail tracks is all so familiar.

Was the accident avoidable?   Yes, is the answer. The accident only brings us unsavoury truth about general public's gross negligence to civic safety responsibilities. Even though there were repeated warnings given on the loud speakers by the organisers, the public did not pay heed. As the Punjab mourned the calamity, and ordered an inquiry into the matter, the questions are asked if the police and the local administration vehemently cleared people off the tracks.

No sooner the wails, shrills and cries of help softened, the game of passing the blame ensued.  The political parties jumped in to demand the resignation of Congress leader Navjot Singh and his wife former MLA Navjot Kaur who was the Chief Guest at the event. The event organisers faced the wrath, as the shocked and bereaved families pelted stones at the organisers' homes. The local government  are at their wit's end to find ways to calm agitators. There were several road blocks.

The driver of the ill-fated train was under severe attack after latest videos of the incident have surfaced. He had earlier claimed that he had slowed down and tried to brake, but in vain. Fearing the safety of the passengers, he sped away. He even claimed that he had desperately sounded warning hooters but they drowned in the sounds of the crackers of effigy burning. But these statements are countered by many witnesses, who said the train was in at high speed, and it was over within seconds. Navjot Singh Sindhu criticized the callousness of the driver and Union Minister of Railways Manoj Sinha, who had told the Railways were not informed beforehand about the Dusshera celebrations.  According to him, the Railways is under no liability to probe the tragedy, they have put the accident done trespassing.

The truth of this sad incident is all must partake the blame and vow to value the safety norms, civic duties and general safety guidelines however seemingly simple or common place it might be.