BHOPAL: The death toll from Monday evening’s incident in Indore, caused by an uncontrolled speeding truck, has risen to three, while 12 injured victims continue to battle for their lives across four hospitals in the city. At least two of the injured are in a critical condition.
The deceased have been identified as Kailash Chandra Joshi (a staff member of the Indore Municipal Corporation), retired professor Laxmikant Soni, and Mahesh Khatwase, a local resident. While Joshi and Soni died after being struck and run over by the truck at the scene, Khatwase succumbed to severe injuries at the hospital early Tuesday morning.
Joshi’s motorcycle was trapped under the front portion of the truck, which subsequently caught fire due to the collision. Despite the efforts of local residents to rescue him from the burning vehicle, Joshi died on the spot from severe burn injuries.
Twelve injured individuals are currently admitted to Geetanjali, Verma Union, Banthia, and Sri Aurobindo hospitals. Among the injured are a 35-year-old woman and her two-year-old son from the Leeds Enclave Housing Society, as well as an elderly couple from the same locality. Two of the injured remain in a critical state.
Initial police investigations have revealed that the truck, loaded with foodgrain, was travelling from the semi-urban Sanwer area towards Indore’s Polo Ground. However, the driver, allegedly intoxicated, lost his way and veered off towards Airport Road via the Super Corridor. The police attempted to stop the truck at Kalani Nagar as it entered a no-entry zone for heavy vehicles, but the driver sped away, colliding with multiple vehicles over a one-kilometre stretch between Ramchandra Nagar, Shikshak Nagar, and Bada Ganpati crossing.
The driver has since been arrested, and authorities have stated that the truck owner is also likely to be made a co-accused in the case. The incident has raised serious questions about the failure of enforcement mechanisms to prevent a heavy vehicle from entering a restricted zone during peak evening hours, despite a clear ban on such vehicles between 6 a.m. and 11 p.m.
Chief Minister Dr Mohan Yadav, who is also the minister in charge of Indore district, is flying to the city by state aircraft and will visit the injured in various hospitals. In the meantime, Additional Chief Secretary (Home) Sheo Shekhar Shukla has already been dispatched to Indore to lead an investigation into the failure.
The ACS–Home has been specifically tasked with conducting a pinpointed inquiry into how the truck managed to enter the city during restricted hours, endangering dozens of lives in the process.
