Amritsar train accident: Man who played Ravana dies saving others

Amritsar: The man who played the character of demon king Ravana at the Ram Leela at Joda Phatak was among those killed in the train accident. After he enacted the role of Ravana, Dalbir Singh, in his 20s, was watching the burning of an effigy from the tracks when he, along with 58 others, was run over by a train.

Dalbir has an eight-month-old daughter. Unable to control her emotions, Dalbir Singh’s mother said her son was playing different characters in the Ram Leela for the past many years. “My son played the role of Ravana at the Ram Leela, which was held on the ground at Dhobi Ghat adjacent to Joda Phatak…he is no more…He too was run over by the train,” she said.

Manoj, a friend of Dalbir, said he had been playing the role of Ravana for the past five years at the Ram Leela, which is held at a ground a little distance away from the accident site. 

His mother says said that Dalbir’s body would not be cremated until the family gets compensation from the government. Seeking job for the widow of Dalbir Singh, his mother said that the state government should give her a government job so that the family could sustain their livelihood.

Another friend of Dalbir said that on seeing a speeding train approaching the area, he had rushed towards them to save them. “Dalbir was able to push 7 to 8 people away from the rail track but there was something else in store for him as the train ran over him, killing him on the spot,” he said.

At least 59 people were killed after a crowd of Dasara revellers that had spilled onto railway tracks was run over by a train near Joda Phatak here.