A paddy-laden truck tore through a police checkpoint and plowed into a crowd of devotees outside the Sheetla Mata Temple in Gwalior at 1:30 AM on Saturday, leaving 12 dead and 29 injured. The vehicle, traveling from the Chhinor direction, lost control on a steep slope where heavy traffic is strictly prohibited. It smashed through the barricades, ran over pilgrims on the road, and finally crashed into the temple’s outer wall and gate. Gwalior Senior Superintendent of Police Dharmveer Singh confirmed that 39 people were rushed to the hospital, where 12 succumbed to their injuries. Two police personnel on duty at the spot were also injured and are undergoing treatment.
The scene was chaotic, with eyewitnesses describing the truck as heavily overloaded. One witness, whose brother was injured, stated the vehicle came suddenly and crushed several people on the spot before hitting shops. Gwalior Collector Ruchika Chauhan noted a discrepancy in initial reports, citing 11 deaths, but emphasized that 29 people sustained various injuries, with five to six in critical condition due to fractures. Ambulances and relief teams were deployed immediately after the incident was reported.
Authorities are now investigating how the truck bypassed the established stopper and police checkpoint during the Navratri festival. An RTO team has been sent to inspect the truck to determine the mechanical failure that caused it to veer left and lose control. "How the vehicle managed to get inside is a matter of investigation," Chauhan said, adding that CT scans and X-rays are being performed on the injured to align their treatment. The investigation will focus on both the driver's negligence and the failure of the safety barriers on the steep slope.