FIFTEEN persons, including several teenagers, lost their lives and more than 25 were injured when aspeeding truck ploughed into devotees gathered for Navratri prayers outside a temple in Madhya Pradesh’s Gwalior district early on Sunday, police said. The paddy-laden truck, bearing a Punjab registration number, entered a no-entry zone on Chinar Road at around 1.30 am, crashed into several devotees waiting for darshan and roadside shops before hitting the Sheetla Mata temple’s entrance gate, they said. The impact brought down a section of the temple wall, trapping people under the debris, officials said. The truck driver fled the scene, and police teams were searching for him, they added. An investigator said the truck’s brakes may have failed, forcing the driver to swerve left in a desperate attempt to control the vehicle. Had it continued straight, he said, it would have ploughed into at least 600 to 700 devotees. Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed grief over the loss of lives in the accident and announced ex gratia relief of Rs 2 lakh to the next of kin of each deceased and Rs 50,000 for each injured. “Distressed to learn about the loss of lives due to a mishap in Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh. My condolences to the bereaved families. Praying for the speedy recovery of the injured,” Modi said in an X post. President Droupadi Murmu on Sunday termed the loss of lives in an accident in Gwalior district saddening and expressed her deepest condolences to the bereaved families. “The news of the loss of lives in the road accident that occurred in Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh, is saddening. I express my deepest condolences to the bereaved families and pray for the swift recovery of those injured,” the President said in a post on X in Hindi. MP Chief Minister MohanYadav 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 persons.

 

The Government will also bear the treatment expenses of the seriously injured, he said. The CM ordered a probe into the incident, along with the removal of the area’s City Superintendent of Police and suspension of eight other police personnel for negligence. He said the accident occurred because the truck entered a prohibited area, and directed the district administration to conduct a fact-based inquiry and submit a report. The accident occurred outside the 125-year-old Sheetla Mata temple, located about 20 km from Gwalior city, where thousands of devotees had gathered for Navratri prayers and were waiting for darshan. Fifteen persons were killed and more than 25 others, including two police personnel, were injured, officials said. Vehicles are supposed to be parked about a kilometre from the shrine, raising questions about how the truck entered the restricted area where, according to some people, not even a bicycle could pass. Acting Inspector General of Police Asit Yadav told PTI that the impact brought down a wall on the temple’s left side. The truck had broken through police barricades while speeding towards the shrine, Collector Ruchika Chouhan told reporters. Two police personnel were also injured while trying to stop it, she said, adding that the Regional Transport Office (RTO) had been asked to examine the vehicle. CM Yadav, in a post on X, said he has ordered the removal of the Gwalior City Superintendent of Police and the suspension of three station house officers, a traffic inspector, a head constable and three constables.

 

A detailed inquiry has been ordered to fix responsibility and ensure strict action against those found guilty, he said. “The safety of all citizens is paramount. To prevent the recurrence of such incidents in the future, security arrangements will be reviewed and necessary steps taken. No negligence will be tolerated at any level in public safety,” Yadav said. The deceased have been 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 persons and the bodies were shifted to different hospitals, including Gwalior’s trauma centre.