At Civil Hospital in Amritsar, parents wait for the autopsies of their children who left homes to 'celebrate'

“It is usually a norm to conduct an autopsy of a body during the daytime. But in crisis like today, we have to conduct autopsies through the night,” Dr Sandeep Aggarwal, a senior pediatrician at Amritsar’s Civil Hospital, said, as he handed over bodies of children to their families. Several of the bodies brought to the hospital Friday were of children. Only 24 were identified by Saturday morning as the rest were dismembered beyond recognition. The hospital also received partial remains found scattered on the tracks after two speeding trains mowed over dozens of people in the city.

“Never before in my career have I witnessed scenes like today. I declared four children dead and tried to save several others. Those who had trauma injuries due to the stampede were saved but we couldn’t save those who were hit by the train. Most of them had blunt injuries in the stomach, face and skull. Each autopsy is taking half an hour approximately and it will continue through the night,” Aggarwal told The Indian Express.

At around 4 am, the hospital was filled with the wails of families and the strong stench of blood. A green curtain hung outside the autopsy room and stretchers with small bodies bundled in blood-soaked white sheets were ferried in and out. “A team of five doctors had been on the job,” Dr Aggarwal said.

“We will be scared of Dussehra for our entire lives now. It is now a black festival for us,” Suman Devi said, as she held the door of an ambulance and cried inconsolably as the body of her three-year-old nephew Sarthak was offloaded. Suman Devi’s younger brother Pardeep, 22, who had taken Sarthak to see the Raavan Dahan, also died in the accident. “Pardeep was about to get married. We were searching for a bride for him. When we reached spot, my brother had already died but Sarthak was still breathing. We took him to three hospitals and finally came here but he could not be saved,” says Suman.

Sarthak’s father Ram Vilas added, “What will I tell Sarthak’s mother… Where is he…. What is the meaning of festivals without children and their happiness? Our child is gone forever. Dussehra, as a festival no more exists for us. My brother and son both are gone.”

“I pray that no one’s child ever goes to watch Raavan Dahan as mine did… he or she may never return,” Paramjit Kaur, whose 16-year-old son Sachin died. “I do not even know who he went with. He asked for Rs 10 from me and I said I don’t have. I am now regretting that I denied him Rs 10. That was the last thing my child had asked from me.”

Kaur added, “When we reached the spot, it was a horrifying scene. Bodies were scattered across tracks and we could not find our son. We later found his body at the hospital.”

Navjeet Singh, Sachin’s father, questioned why such event was held near the railway tracks. “Why was the event held near the railway tracks? There was fire, there was a train and it was a lethal combination. Why didn’t anyone foresee this tragedy?”

Squatting outside the autopsy room, Mehto and his son Anil were unable to utter a word. Their cries filled the air. Mehto’s wife sat quietly in a corner. Their younger son Satish, 10, was killed in the accident. “This train came like Raavan and took away my son who was yet to see life,” Mehto said, banging his head on the wall.