Bhopal, Oct. 18 -- At least 15 people, including several teenagers, were killed and more than 45 injured when a speeding truck ploughed into devotees gathered outside the 125-year-old Sheetla Mata temple in Madhya Pradesh's Gwalior district during Navratri prayers early Sunday.
Chief Minister Mohan Yadav ordered a detailed probe into the tragedy, removed Gwalior City Superintendent of Police Ravi Bhadouria and suspended eight other police personnel over alleged negligence.
Yadav announced financial assistance of Rs 4 lakh each to the families of the deceased, Rs 2 lakh for each seriously injured person and Rs 50,000 for other injured victims. The state government will also bear the treatment expenses of those seriously injured, he said.
The accident occurred around 1.30 am when a paddy-laden truck bearing a Punjab registration number allegedly entered a restricted zone on Chinor Road, hit devotees waiting for darshan and rammed into roadside shops before crashing into the temple's entrance gate. The impact brought down a section of the temple wall, trapping people beneath the debris.
The truck reportedly broke through police barricades while speeding towards the shrine. The driver fled the scene, prompting police to launch a search. Two police personnel were also injured while attempting to stop the vehicle.
Yadav ordered the suspension of three station house officers, a traffic inspector, a head constable and three constables. He also directed the district administration to conduct a fact-based inquiry, fix responsibility and submit a report. The Regional Transport Office has been asked to examine the truck.
In a post on X, the Chief Minister said security arrangements would be reviewed to prevent a recurrence of such incidents. He asserted that negligence in matters concerning public safety would not be tolerated.
An investigator suggested that the truck's brakes might have failed, prompting the driver to swerve left in an attempt to control the vehicle. He said the truck could otherwise have ploughed into a much larger gathering of devotees. However, the cause of the accident is yet to be established.
The temple, located around 20 km from Gwalior city, had drawn thousands of devotees for Navratri prayers. Vehicles are ordinarily required to be parked about a kilometre from the shrine, raising questions about how the truck entered the restricted zone despite the security arrangements.
The deceased were identified as Satendra Singh Gurjar (22), Sarla Tomar (50), Gaurav Parihar (18), Mahesh Sharma (45), Vimlesh Baghel (18), Devesh Baghel (17), Chhotu Jatav (16), Shaurya Sharma (16), Hemant Rathore (19), Divyansh Kushwah (17), Pawan Rathore (23), Lav Tyagi (15), Aman Tyagi (13), Ashok Tyagi (45) and Nitesh (18).
The injured were shifted to various hospitals in Gwalior, including the city's trauma centre. Several of them are in critical condition and are undergoing treatment in intensive care units (ICUs).
Relatives of the victims questioned how a heavy vehicle had reached the temple entrance despite restrictions and barricades. They also demanded the suspension of the district collector and the superintendent of police, alleging that the administration had failed to ensure adequate security.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed grief over the deaths and announced ex-gratia assistance of Rs 2 lakh for the next of kin of each deceased and Rs 50,000 for each injured person.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.