At least 14 people died and more than 20 were injured when the overloaded pick-up van they were travelling in turned over and fell into a valley in Madhya Pradesh’s Dindori district on Thursday.
According to the police, the incident took place in the wee hours of Thursday morning as the passengers were returning from a function held at a family member’s home in the neighbouring Mandla district. At around 2 a.m., the driver lost control of the vehicle, causing it to fall from a height of about 10 to 15 feet.
State Minister Sampatiya Uikey, who visited Dindori, said that the victims hailed from the tribal community. “The CM has given directions for a high-level inquiry into the accident so that those responsible for it can be punished,” she told reporters.
Case registered
Dindori Superintendent of Police Akhil Patel told The Hindu that the driver and owner of the vehicle, identified as Ajmer Singh Tekam, has been arrested and produced before a court.
A case has been registered under Section 304 (II) (an act that is undertaken with the knowledge that it may cause death, or a physical injury that is likely to result in death) of the Indian Penal Code, he said, adding that the vehicle’s fitness certificate and insurance had expired in 2022.
Mukesh Avindra, a sub-divisional police officer in Dindori’s Shahpura, told The Hindu that the deceased included eight women, five men, and a 16-year-old boy. Two of the deceased were residents of Umaria district, he said. While most of the injured had minor injuries, some who suffered serious injuries have been referred to Jabalpur for treatment, he added.
Overloaded and speeding
“All the passengers, including the driver, were related and were travelling together, making the van heavily overloaded. Prima facie, the driver was going too fast and lost control over the vehicle at a blind turn,” Mr. Avindra said.
Mr. Patel also said that while the driver was not intoxicated, his version of the incident was found to be untrue. “He claimed that the vehicle’s brakes were not working properly but we have not found any mechanical failure with the van. He also said that when the vehicle lost control, he tried to balance it with the support of a roadside mound. But during the spot inspection, no mound was found that was big enough to balance such a big vehicle,” he added.
Enforcing traffic rules
Another senior police officer said that the district had conducted a drive to enforce traffic regulations, stop overloaded vehicles from plying, and check their documents, especially after an illegally-running bus caught fire in Guna district last December, killing 13 people. However, he admitted that the effort was marred by various challenges.
“This region is densely populated by the Baiga [a Particularly Vulnurable Tribal Group] and Gond tribes and running awareness campaigns is quite difficult in rural areas. Another reason the pace has been affected is that there has not been any permanent RTO [Regional Transport Office] here for a while and the charge has been given to a neighbouring district,” the officer said, requesting anonymity.
Financial assistance from PM, CM
Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his grief over the incident while virtually addressing a Viksit Bharat, Viksit Madhya Pradesh event.
Earlier in the day, the Prime Minister’s Office announced financial assistance of ₹2 lakh to the kin of each of the deceased. “An ex-gratia of ₹2 lakh from PMNRF would be given to the next of kin of each deceased in the mishap in Dindori, MP. The injured would be given ₹50,000: PM Narendra Modi,” the PMO said in a post on X.
M.P. Chief Minister Mohan Yadav also announced ₹4 lakh for the families of those who died. “In this hour of grief, our thoughts are with the bereaved families. I pray to Baba Mahakal to give peace to the departed souls and strength to the family members to bear this thunderbolt. The state government will provide financial assistance of ₹4 lakh each to the families of the deceased. Instructions have been given to arrange for proper treatment of the injured,” Mr. Yadav said on X.
President Draupadi Murmu, Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankar, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, and former M.P. CM and Congress veteran Kamal Nath also condoled the loss of lives in the incident.
