The Gwalior truck accident killed at least 15 devotees and injured 26 others, including two police personnel, after a heavy truck entered a crowded stretch near the Sheetla Mata Temple fair on Chinor Road around 1.30am on Sunday. Two Home Guard personnel posted at the entry point were among those killed, while several injured people remained in critical condition.
The incident occurred during Saptami of the nine-day Sharadiya Navratri festival, when the temple and surrounding fair area were crowded with devotees. Collector Ruchika Chauhan confirmed the incident. Hospital authorities initially reported 13 deaths before the toll rose to 15 as officials collected details from hospitals treating the injured.
The truck struck devotees walking near the shrine before crashing into the temple’s entrance gate. Part of a wall collapsed, trapping people beneath the debris. Local residents, police personnel and devotees took part in the rescue operation, while a crane was used to lift the overturned vehicle and reach those trapped underneath.
Police and officials have not yet provided a final explanation for how heavy vehicles entered the restricted stretch. Authorities had reportedly barred all vehicles, including bicycles, from the route during the festival. Relatives and residents questioned how the trucks crossed barricades placed some distance from the temple and reached a narrow road near the shrine.
Accounts of the immediate cause differed. Some reports said two trucks had been parked on a steep road and that one rolled downhill after a brake failure. Other accounts said one truck broke through the barricades. Officials said the drivers of two overloaded trucks, who were unfamiliar with the route and were relying on GPS navigation, were directed towards the temple road while travelling towards Punjab.
According to reports, the trucks approached the rear of the temple from Chinor at night. On reaching a downward slope, the drivers saw a large crowd below. One truck reportedly lost its brakes, rolled downhill and struck devotees before hitting the temple gate. The exact sequence remains subject to the investigation.
Chief Minister Mohan Yadav removed Jhansi Road city superintendent of police Ravi Bhadauria and suspended eight other police personnel over alleged negligence. Those suspended include the Jhansi Road, Antri and Jhansi Road Traffic station house officers, a traffic inspector, a head constable and three constables. Yadav said the safety of devotees was paramount and that accountability would be fixed after a detailed inquiry.
Police arrested truck owner Mohit Singh and driver Dilbag Singh in Dholpur. Police said the two men jumped out of the truck and fled after the crash. They were being questioned by the Jhansi Road police station team.
The incident triggered protests by residents and devotees, who blocked the road and demanded strict action against reckless drivers and a complete ban on heavy vehicles in the area. Additional police personnel were deployed near the crash site and the post-mortem facility after relatives gathered to identify the dead and demanded answers from the police administration.
Rescue and treatment operations were complicated by the scale of the crash. Seriously injured victims were taken to the trauma centre at Jaya Arogya Hospital and the 1,000-bed hospital. Some were transported in a goods vehicle while ambulances continued carrying the dead and injured until around 4am. The first hydra machine sent to the site developed a technical fault, requiring officials to request another machine from an agency working on a nearby elevated road.
The state government announced compensation of Rs 4 lakh for each family of those killed, Rs 2 lakh for each seriously injured person and Rs 50,000 for other injured victims. The government also said all injured people would receive free treatment. The affected families are from Gwalior, Shivpuri and Sheopur. The inquiry and the police investigation will determine how the restricted route was breached and who was responsible for the safety arrangements.
