India News | Gwalior Truck Accident: Death Toll Rises to 14; Families Allege Police Negligence, Delay in Rescue-search
Get latest articles and stories on India at LatestLY. The death toll in the truck accident near Sheetla Mata Temple in Madhya Pradesh's Gwalior rose to 14 on Sunday, with grieving families alleging police negligence and delayed rescue efforts as they gathered at the Jah hospital and postmortem centre.
Gwalior (Madhya Pradesh) [India], October 18 (ANI): The death toll in the truck accident near Sheetla Mata Temple in Madhya Pradesh's Gwalior rose to 14 on Sunday, with grieving families alleging police negligence and delayed rescue efforts as they gathered at the hospital and postmortem centre.
The families accused the police of failing to reach the accident site in time, delaying the transportation of victims to the hospital and preventing relatives from searching for their missing family members.
Tensions reportedly escalated at the postmortem centre, where some bereaved family members confronted the police as Gwalior Superintendent of Police Dharmveer Singh visited the site.
Speaking to ANI, a woman whose son was injured in the accident alleged that the police prevented her from taking him for treatment herself and later brought him back in an ambulance.
"My son would have been 19 years old. The police didn't come to Sheetla for four hours, not even for my little boy. It was a 12 o'clock incident, and the police came at 4 o'clock," she alleged, questioning the delay in the response.
Another bereaved family member questioned why the victims were not taken to the hospital immediately after the accident.
"If the accident happened at 2:00, why did you bring him to the hospital at 4:00? You should have brought him right away, and the child's life was lost. And the administration is telling me to sign," the family member said.
The family member also alleged that some victims who were initially believed to be alive had died, expressing anger over the circumstances surrounding their treatment and the communication provided to their relatives.
She alleged that the family received information about the victim's death only through a friend and not from the police.
"They were saying yesterday at the trauma centre that he was walking, so we sat there until 4 o'clock. We came home at 3 o'clock. We got the information at 3 o'clock. Then the police didn't call the house. A friend called and told us; that's when we came," the relative said.
A woman whose daughter was missing also accused the police of preventing the family from searching for her.
"Why didn't the cops let us search? My daughter is looking for her, but they won't let her go inside. The cops refused, saying she wasn't in there. Isn't it your duty to search for someone if they go missing? But no, they didn't search, and they didn't let my daughter search either. I want my child back," she told ANI.
The accident occurred around 1.30 am on Sunday when a truck loaded with paddy, travelling from the Chhinor direction, reportedly lost control on a steep slope and crashed into devotees gathered near Sheetla Mata Temple. The truck allegedly broke through barricades and a police checkpoint before running over pilgrims and hitting the temple's outer wall and gate.
According to Gwalior Senior Superintendent of Police Dharmveer Singh, 39 people were taken to hospital following the accident, including two police personnel who were on duty at the spot. The two policemen were also injured and are undergoing treatment.
Earlier, the SSP had said that 12 people had died, while five to six patients had sustained critical injuries, including fractures. Other injured people were receiving treatment.
Gwalior Collector Ruchika Chauhan confirmed on Sunday that the death toll had risen to 14. The administration had dispatched ambulances and other vehicles to the site after receiving information about the accident.
Chauhan had also said that an investigation was underway to determine how the truck managed to cross the barricades and police checkpoint set up on the road during Navratri.
"A stopper and a police checkpoint were present on that road during Navratri, so how the vehicle managed to get inside is a matter of investigation. We have also sent an RTO team to inspect the truck mechanically and find out what issue occurred and how it veered to the left," she said.
Meanwhile, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav expressed grief over the deaths and announced financial assistance for the affected families.
In a post on X, Yadav said the state government stood with the families affected by the tragedy and that instructions had been issued to provide Rs 4 lakh to the families of each deceased person, Rs 2 lakh to each seriously injured person and Rs 50,000 to each other injured person. He added that all injured people would receive free treatment.
The Chief Minister also directed Ministers Aidal Singh Kansana and Rakesh Shukla to reach Gwalior.
"The news of the deaths of devotees in the truck accident that occurred in Gwalior is extremely heart-wrenching. In this hour of grief, the state government stands with all affected families. My condolences are with the families of all the deceased. Instructions have been issued on behalf of the state administration to provide financial assistance of 4 lakh rupees each to the families of the deceased, 2 lakh rupees each to the seriously injured, and 50 thousand rupees each to the other injured. All the injured will receive free treatment. The affected families are from Gwalior, Shivpuri, and Sheopur," he wrote.
The Chief Minister also directed Ministers Aidal Singh Kansana and Rakesh Shukla to reach Gwalior.
"I pray to Baba Mahakal that he grant place at his divine feet to the departed souls, bestow strength upon the bereaved families to bear this profound sorrow, and grant swift recovery to the injured. Om Shanti!" the post added.
https://x.com/DrMohanYadav51/status/2111661689049694275
The incident has triggered grief and anger among the families of the victims, with relatives demanding answers over the alleged delays in the rescue operation and the handling of the injured. (ANI)
(The above story is verified and authored by ANI staff, ANI is South Asia's leading multimedia news agency with over 100 bureaus in India, South Asia and across the globe. ANI brings the latest news on Politics and Current Affairs in India & around the World, Sports, Health, Fitness, Entertainment, & News. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)