Fifteen people, including several teenagers, were killed and 28 injured when a speeding truck ploughed into devotees gathered outside Sheetla Mata Temple in Gwalior district during Navratri celebrations early Sunday.
Chief Minister Mohan Yadav ordered the removal of a CSP and the suspension of eight other police personnel following the tragedy, citing negligence in the discharge of duty. The accident occurred around 1.30 am on Chinor Road when a truck bearing a Punjab registration number reportedly lost control while descending a slope and rammed into devotees visiting the shrine. It struck makeshift roadside shops before crashing into the temple’s entrance gate and damaging part of the temple wall.
The shrine was crowded with devotees even after midnight during the ongoing Sharadiya Navratri festivities. The truck reportedly entered a restricted zone despite the large gathering, raising serious questions about traffic regulation and security arrangements.
Gwalior District Collector Ruchika Chauhan said the truck was coming from Chinor when it suddenly veered left while descending the slope. An investigator suggested that brake failure might have caused the driver to lose control, but the exact cause remains to be established.
The driver fled after the accident, and police teams were searching for him. Two police personnel on duty were also among the injured.
The injured were shifted to different hospitals, including the trauma centre at Jaya Arogya Government Hospital. Some remained in critical condition, with multiple medical teams attending to them. Relatives gathered near the post-mortem facility, expressing grief and anger over the incident and questioning how a heavy vehicle had entered an area packed with devotees. Survivors also raised concerns about inadequate security arrangements.
Following the tragedy, Yadav directed the removal of Jhansi Road CSP Ravi Bhadoria and ordered the suspension of eight police personnel: Jhansi Road police station in-charge Shakti Singh Yadav, Antari police station in-charge Gitesh Sharma, Jhansi Road Traffic police station in-charge Abhishek Raghuvanshi, Traffic Inspector Raghavendra Jadon, head constable Sushil Dwivedi and constables Kishan Khanna, Anil Jaitpuriya and Pawan Sengar.
The Chief Minister said the safety of devotees was paramount and that negligence would not be tolerated. He ordered an investigation to establish accountability and directed ministers Aidal Singh Kansana and Rakesh Shukla to reach Gwalior to oversee the situation and assist affected families.
The State Government announced financial assistance of Rs 4 lakh to the family of each deceased person, Rs 2 lakh to each seriously injured person and Rs 50,000 to each other injured person. Yadav also directed that all injured persons receive free medical treatment.
Meanwhile, the Sheetla Mata Temple management committee demanded a Special Investigation Team (SIT) probe, alleging serious lapses in crowd management and questioning how the truck entered the restricted area.
Committee chairman Rajendra Singh Gurjar called for an impartial investigation into the circumstances of the accident and urged authorities to examine the possibility of a deliberate conspiracy. The committee announced Rs 50,000 in assistance to each deceased person’s family and Rs 10,000 to each injured person.
The committee’s suspicion of a planned attack remains an allegation, with its statement citing no evidence of a conspiracy. Police are investigating the circumstances of the accident and the lapses that may have contributed to the tragedy.