‘If it were your own child, wouldn’t you be in pain?’: Mother mourns son, questions hospital delay in Gwalior tragedy | Bhopal News
GWALIOR: Grief and anguish gripped the families of devotees killed after an out-of-control truck ploughed into pilgrims near Sheetla Mata Temple in Madhya Pradesh’s Gwalior late Saturday night, with relatives questioning the delay in taking the injured to hospital and alleging that they were not informed promptly about their loved ones’ condition.At least 14 people were killed and several others injured when the paddy-laden truck reportedly broke through a police checkpoint, ran over devotees gathered near the temple and crashed into its gate and outer wall.Family members of the victims expressed their distress on Sunday, with one mother questioning why the police had not helped her locate her family members after the accident.
Victims’ families question delay in hospitalisation
The mother of Divyansh, who lost her son in the accident, said she learnt about the incident early Sunday morning and struggled to find her family members.“There was my daughter-in-law, my elder and younger sons. I was informed at 6 a.m. My daughter went to find them, but police did not allow her. Why wouldn’t the police help me find her? Tell me-if it were your own child, wouldn’t you be in pain?” she said.Another grieving family member questioned why the victim was taken to hospital hours after the accident, adding that the family had initially been told the child was undergoing treatment and did not know that he had died.“If the accident happened at 2 o’clock, why was he taken to the hospital at 4 o’clock? They should have brought him in at the time. Now the child has lost his life, and the authorities say to sign the papers… We were informed that he was being treated; we did not have any clue that our child is no more…” the family member said.
Paddy-laden truck broke through police barricades
Gwalior Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Dharmveer Singh said the accident occurred at around 1.30 am when a truck carrying paddy, travelling from the Chhinor direction, lost control on a steep slope where heavy vehicles are restricted.The truck allegedly broke through police barricades before hurtling down the road, running over pilgrims and crashing into the temple’s outer wall and gate.“This is a tragic incident where pilgrims were travelling to Sheetla Mata Temple in large numbers. The road coming from the Chhinor side has a steep slope where heavy traffic is restricted.Around 1.30 AM, a truck loaded with paddy was stopped there. It broke through the police barricades, suddenly lost control, came down, and crashed into the outer wall and gate of the temple.The devotees who were on the road were crushed underneath it, leading to this accident,” Singh said.Two police personnel deployed at the spot were also injured in the incident, the SSP said.“Two police personnel who were on duty at the spot were also injured, and their treatment is ongoing,” he added.
Gwalior collector says 29 injured, ambulances dispatched for rescue
Gwalior Collector Ruchika Chauhan said ambulances and other vehicles were sent for relief operations after authorities received information about the accident. She said 29 people had sustained injuries of varying severity.“Today, at around 1.30 AM, information was received that a truck coming from the direction of Chhinor towards the temple lost control and veered continuously to the left. Immediately, news of the accident started coming in, and ambulances and other vehicles were dispatched,” she said.The accident took place as large numbers of devotees were travelling to Sheetla Mata Temple. The truck’s impact damaged the temple’s gate and outer wall, while several pilgrims on the road were caught in its path.(With inputs from ANI)
