Chandigarh-The accident involving for Mukh Mantri Teerth Yatra buss in Amritsar district was not merely a road accident but a tragedy resulting from gross negligence on the part of the government machinery. While appropriate action must be taken against the bus owners, the Punjab government, led by the Aam Aadmi Party , is directly responsible for the incident. This statement was made by Kewal Singh Dhillon, President of the Punjab Pradesh Bharatiya Janata Party , while expressing deep grief over the road accident involving two buses operating under the Mukh Mantri Teerth Yatra at Naushera Pannuan, in which five people lost their lives and 18 others were seriously injured.
Kewal Singh Dhillon said that in October 2026, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) had issued a notice over concerns regarding the safety of buses ferrying passengers under the Mukh Mantri Teerth Yatra Scheme. Some of these buses had expired registration certificates, while others lacked valid fitness certificates. They were also operating without insurance and pollution certificates. Despite these serious violations, how were these buses allowed to ply on the roads?
Expressing shock, Dhillon said that in January 2026, the Punjab government had informed the Human Rights Commission that none of these buses was registered in Punjab. The NHRC had also raised concerns over unauthorised modifications in the buses, partitions between drivers and passengers, the absence of emergency exits, obstructed windows, and the lack of essential fire-safety arrangements. These buses had also been seized and challaned in several states outside Punjab. However, the Punjab government remained adamant in continuing the scheme. Instead, it accused the Bharatiya Janata Party of attempting to shut down the Mukh Mantri Teerth Yatra.
He said that the BJP government in Delhi was also running a Mukh Mantri Teerth Yatra. “We are not opposed to the Pilgrimage Scheme in Punjab either. Our concern was the safety of Punjab’s elderly citizens, and unfortunately, the tragedy has vindicated our concerns.”
Kewal Singh Dhillon directly questioned Arvind Kejriwal, asking who would be held accountable for the actions and responsibilities of Kamal Bansal, who was brought from Delhi and appointed as the in-charge of Punjab’s Pilgrimage Scheme. He alleged that Kejriwal was putting the lives and safety of Punjab’s people at risk by promoting a bus mafia through the use of private buses from other states. He said that government-owned buses or buses operated by companies based in Punjab could have been used for the Mukh Mantri Teerth Yatra instead.