At least 16 people were killed and 26 injured when a heavy truck struck devotees at the Sheetla Mata Temple fair on Chinor Road in Gwalior around 1.30 am on Sunday, raising urgent questions about how trucks reached a route closed to all vehicles during the nine-day festival.
The crash took place in Sataun village, about 18 km from Gwalior district headquarters, as the shrine was crowded with devotees observing Saptami during Sharadiya Navratri. Two Home Guard personnel posted at the entry point were among those killed, while two police personnel were also injured. Hospital authorities initially confirmed 13 deaths before revising the toll to 16, and officials said the number could rise.
The route to the temple runs down a steep slope towards the entrance gate. Officials said two overloaded trucks carrying paddy from Dabra and travelling towards Punjab had approached the shrine from the Chinor side at night. Preliminary accounts cited in the report said the drivers may have been directed towards the temple road by GPS-based navigation while travelling on unfamiliar routes.
How the truck entered the restricted stretch remains disputed. Some accounts said the vehicles were parked on the slope and one began rolling after a brake failure. Other accounts said a truck broke through barricades before entering the area. Officials had not provided a final explanation for how the vehicles passed barricades placed away from the temple entrance, despite the road reportedly being closed even to cycles during the fair.
The truck struck devotees walking along the roadside before hitting the temple’s entrance gate. Part of the temple wall collapsed, trapping people beneath the debris. Police, local residents and devotees joined the rescue operation. A crane was used to lift the overturned truck, while one injured woman was freed after police released air from a tyre. Several victims suffered head injuries and fractures.
Some seriously injured people were taken to the Gwalior Trauma Centre in a loading vehicle when ambulances were not immediately available. Ambulances transported the dead and injured until about 4 am, while senior police and administrative officials reviewed treatment arrangements at the trauma centre and the 1,000-bed hospital. A first hydra machine reportedly developed a technical fault, and another was sought from an agency working on a nearby elevated road.
Chief minister Mohan Yadav removed Jhansi Road city superintendent of police Ravi Bhadauria and suspended eight other police personnel, including the Jhansi Road, Antri and traffic station house officers, a traffic inspector, a head constable and three constables. Yadav said a detailed inquiry would be conducted and action taken against those found responsible for negligence.
Police took truck owner Mohit alias Harpreet Singh, from Ludhiana, and driver Dilbag Singh, a Delhi resident, into custody in Dholpur, Rajasthan, according to a police officer. The police said the two men had fled after the crash and were being questioned. Residents and relatives later blocked the road, demanding strict action against reckless driving and a complete ban on heavy vehicles near the shrine.
The state government announced compensation of Rs 4 lakh for the family of each person killed, Rs 2 lakh for each seriously injured person and Rs 50,000 for other injured people. The government also said all injured victims would receive free treatment. The Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund will provide Rs 2 lakh to the next of kin of each person killed and Rs 50,000 to each injured person, according to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The district administration’s inquiry and the police investigation will determine how the trucks reached the festival route, whether barricades and traffic restrictions were properly enforced, and whether brake failure or another factor caused the vehicle to enter the crowd. Officials had not announced a final report by the time of publication.
