14 Devotees Killed as Truck Rams Crowd at Gwalior's Sheetla Mata Templeਗਵਾਲੀਅਰ ਵਿੱਚ ਸ਼ੀਤਲਾ ਮਾਤਾ ਮੰਦਰ ਨੇੜੇ ਟਰੱਕ ਹਾਦਸਾ, 14 ਸ਼ਰਧਾਲੂਆਂ ਦੀ ਮੌਤ

Fourteen devotees were killed and dozens injured in Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh, in the early hours of Sunday when a paddy-laden truck lost control on a steep road, broke through police barricades and ran over people gathered near the Sheetla Mata Temple during Navratri, according to ANI reports quoting senior police and district officials.

What happened near the Sheetla Mata Temple?

Gwalior Senior Superintendent of Police Dharmveer Singh said the accident happened at around 1:30 am, when a truck coming from the Chhinor direction was stopped on a sloping stretch of road where heavy vehicles are restricted. The truck broke through the police barricades, suddenly lost control, came down the slope and crashed into the outer wall and gate of the temple. Devotees who were on the road were crushed underneath it, the SSP said. Two police personnel who were on duty at the spot were also injured and are receiving treatment.

Large numbers of devotees had been travelling to the Sheetla Mata Temple for Navratri. The SSP said a total of 39 people were taken to hospital after the accident. He initially said 12 people had died, five or six patients were critically injured with fractures, and the rest had sustained minor injuries and were receiving treatment.

Toll rose to 14 on Sunday

Gwalior Collector Ruchika Chauhan later confirmed on Sunday that the death toll had risen to 14. She said ambulances and other vehicles were dispatched as soon as information about the accident came in, and that the injured were undergoing treatment, with medical teams carrying out CT scans and X-rays. Chauhan said an investigation is underway into how the truck managed to cross the barricades and the police checkpoint set up on the road during Navratri. An RTO team has been sent to inspect the truck mechanically and find out what happened and how it veered to the left, she said.

Families allege negligence and delay

As the toll rose, grieving families gathered at the hospital and the postmortem centre and alleged police negligence and delayed rescue efforts, ANI reported. Relatives alleged that police failed to reach the accident site in time, that transportation of victims to hospital was delayed, and that family members were prevented from searching for their missing relatives. One woman whose son was injured alleged that police stopped her from taking him for treatment herself. Another relative questioned why victims were not taken to hospital immediately. These are allegations by the families; officials have said an investigation is underway. Tensions were reported at the postmortem centre when some bereaved family members confronted police during a visit by the Superintendent of Police.

Compensation announced by Madhya Pradesh

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav expressed grief over the deaths and announced financial assistance for the affected families. In a post on X, he said instructions had been issued to provide Rs 4 lakh to the family of each person who died, Rs 2 lakh to each seriously injured person and Rs 50,000 to each other injured person, and that all the injured would receive free treatment. He said the affected families are from Gwalior, Shivpuri and Sheopur, and directed ministers Aidal Singh Kansana and Rakesh Shukla to reach Gwalior.

The crash is the second major festival crowd tragedy in India within a day, after 19 people died in a stampede at a Durga Puja pandal in Kolkata on Saturday evening. Together, the two incidents have put crowd management, vehicle restrictions and emergency response at large religious gatherings under fresh scrutiny. In Gwalior, the immediate questions are mechanical and administrative: why the truck entered a restricted road, how it crossed a checkpoint, and whether rescue reached the injured fast enough. The district administration's investigation and the RTO inspection are expected to address those questions.

How many people died in the Gwalior truck accident?

Fourteen people died, according to Gwalior Collector Ruchika Chauhan, who confirmed the revised toll on Sunday. Police initially said 12 people had died and 39 people had been taken to hospital.

Where and when did the accident happen?

The accident happened at around 1:30 am on Sunday, October 18, 2026, on the road from Chhinor near the Sheetla Mata Temple in Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh, where devotees had gathered for Navratri.

What compensation has been announced?

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav announced Rs 4 lakh for the family of each person who died, Rs 2 lakh for each seriously injured person and Rs 50,000 for each other injured person, with free treatment for all the injured.

What is being investigated?

Officials say they are investigating how the truck crossed the barricades and police checkpoint on a road where heavy vehicles were restricted, and an RTO team is inspecting the truck mechanically to establish why it lost control and veered to the left.