Gwalior, 18 October

Fifteen persons, including several teenagers, lost their lives and more than 25 were injured when a speeding 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.

MP Chief Minister Mohan Yadav 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.

Relatives gathered near the post-mortem facility at the trauma centre questioned how a heavy truck could reach a place where, they claimed, even a bicycle could not pass.

Lokendra Singh Tomar, nephew of deceased devotee Sarla Tomar, asked how the truck entered the temple area despite security arrangements. His aunt had been on her way to offer prayers, he told reporters, demanding accountability.

Savitri, a relative of deceased teenager Divyansh Kushwah, said the family realised he was missing after the group came out of the temple following prayers. They searched for him and alerted the police before returning inside and identifying him, she said.

Pawan Rathore, 23, a resident of Gadaipur in Gwalior's Hazira area, was among those killed. His family took the body away amid inconsolable grief. He had gone to the temple to offer prayers when the truck struck.

Sandeep, a relative of injured devotee Nikesh, said the family received a phone call around 5 am informing them of the accident. When they reached the hospital, Nikesh was in critical condition, with both legs fractured, and had been placed on a ventilator.

Gajendra Prajapati, whose relative ran a shop selling puja materials near the temple, said the accident happened so suddenly that smoke engulfed the area and his relative could not comprehend what had happened.

MP Assembly Speaker Narendra Singh Tomar, a resident of Gwalior, expressed grief over the incident and postponed all his engagements for Sunday.