Manas Dasgupta
NEW DELHI, Oct 18: In a bizarre incident, at least 15 people, including two women, were killed and over 40 injured after a paddy-laden truck mowed down a crowd of devotees outside the Sheetala Mata temple on the outskirts of Gwalior city in Madhya Pradesh in the wee hours of Sunday.
The police said the driver of the truck had lost control of the vehicle due to some mechanical failure and entered a prohibited area where devotees were waiting for a darshan of the deity. The truck stopped after crashing into a wall the impact of which caused part of the wall to collapse which also caused injuries to some people.
According to the police and eyewitnesses, the incident took place around 1.30 a.m. near Sheetla Mata Mandir situated amidst hills in the Santau area, about 20 km from Gwalior city, when a truck laden with paddy hurtled down a steep slope and rammed into the devotees waiting outside the temple premises, before crashing into a wall near the temple gate and bringing it down. The truck was going to Punjab and the driver was using GPS navigation for the route, officers said.
Forty-two injured people have been admitted to various hospitals across the city and some of them are in a critical condition, Gwalior Superintendent of Police (SP) Dharm Vir Singh said.
The Chief Minister Mohan Yadav ordered the transfer of SP, City (Vishwavidyalaya) Ravi Bhadoriya over negligence, along with the suspension of eight police personnel, including three town inspectors, a traffic inspector, a head constable, and three constables. Mr Yadav also issued orders for a detailed investigation into the tragedy.
Mr Yadav said, “Taking the negligence in the incident near the Sheetla Mata Temple in Gwalior seriously, instructions have been issued to immediately remove the CSP from his post and suspend three station house officers, one traffic inspector, one head constable, and three constables with ordering a detailed investigation into the incident, so that responsibility can be fixed and strict action ensured against the guilty.”
The truck owner, Mohit Singh, and driver Dilbag Singh, who had fled the spot, have been arrested and were being interrogated, Mr Singh said. They both hail from Punjab and were held from the neighbouring Dholpur district in Rajasthan, he said.
“During questioning, the driver said the vehicle’s brakes began to malfunction when he was climbing an uphill road, and as soon as he reached a slope, the brakes stopped working and he lost control of the truck. So he moved towards the left side of the road and rammed into the area outside the temple, where several devotees were present,” Mr Singh said, adding that a medical test was being conducted to ascertain if he was driving under influence or not.
While barricades and crowd management arrangements were in place at the temple, the truck broke about five barricades, injuring two personnel of the State Home Guards, the SP said. The investigation into the case was underway and the police were trying to ascertain how the truck had entered the prohibited zone despite the diversions and checkpoints in place, Mr Singh also said.
Several post-crash videos from the spot showed chaotic scenes with many devotees running around to save themselves and find their relatives. A video also showed some people stuck under the truck. Several devotees alleged poor security arrangements and delay in emergency response from the authorities.
A grieving family alleged that their son was brought to the hospital around 4 a.m. and that he died due to the delay in getting treatment. “If the accident happened before 2 o’clock, why was he brought here at 4? He lost his life. They should have brought him right then. The police did not even inform us about the tragedy; we found out from one of his friends.
“We assumed that he was under treatment because we were told he was at the trauma centre so we sat there. Now, they are saying he is here,” the boy’s sister said, speaking to a news agency outside a government mortuary in Gwalior, even as his mother and other family members wept.
The temple, famous in the region, receives a heavy footfall of devotees from Gwalior and neighbouring districts, with the crowds surging during the nine-day Hindu festival of Navratri.
Meanwhile, Mr Yadav announced an ex-gratia of ₹4 lakh each to the kin of the deceased, financial assistance of ₹2 lakh each for the critically injured, and ₹50,000 each to other injured persons. “A detailed investigation into the incident has been ordered, so that responsibility can be fixed and strict action ensured against the guilty. 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,” the Chief Minister said on social media platform X.
Several senior leaders, including President Droupadi Murmu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi have expressed grief over the deaths and prayed for the swift recovery of the injured. Mr Modi also announced an ex-gratia of ₹2 lakh for the families of each deceased person, and financial aid of ₹50,000 for each injured from the PM National Relief Fund, the Prime Minister’s Office said on X.
“On the occasion of Saptami, a large crowd from Gwalior and surrounding districts had gathered at the temple late on (Saturday) night. In view of the crowd, entry of heavy vehicles was restricted,” Yadav said. The truck laden with paddy coming from the Chinor side was stopped by police at the barricade, but the driver lost control on the slope and plowed into roadside stalls and devotees. The truck then broke through the barricades and struck the entrance gate after running over devotees and stalls, according to SP Yadav.
Police said five-six prasad stalls were damaged and nearly 41 people were hit in the accident. Rescue teams and police immediately rushed to the spot and pulled out those trapped under the collapsed wall.