3 Women Warkaris Killed, 4 Critical After Speeding Truck Rams Dindi Near Jejuri
The incident took place as devotees were approaching Jejuri, where the traditional showering of bhandara (turmeric powder) is performed to welcome the Palkhi.
Mumbai: Three women pilgrims of Ashadhi Wari were killed and four others were critically injured after a speeding truck rammed into a Dindi (pilgrim group) near Jejuri in Pune district on Monday morning during the Ashadhi Wari procession.
According to police, the accident occurred near Saswad village on the Saswad–Jejuri road when the driver reportedly lost control of the vehicle, causing it to plough into a group of Warkaris heading towards Jejuri with the Sant Dnyaneshwar Maharaj Palkhi. The deceased women were from the Digras area of Sangli district.
Around 15 to 16 pilgrims were injured in the accident, with three women dying on the spot. Four of the injured are said to be in critical condition. The injured were rushed to nearby hospitals for treatment.
Police said the exact cause of the accident is yet to be determined and investigations are underway. The truck driver is being questioned.
“The injured women have been shifted to a hospital in Jejuri for treatment. Primary probe suggests that the driver of the truck lost control at high speed and ran over multiple Warkaris,” said a police official.
The incident took place as devotees were approaching Jejuri, where the traditional showering of bhandara (turmeric powder) is performed to welcome the Palkhi.
The Palkhis, or the procession of the palanquins carrying the Paduka or revered symbolic footwear of Sant Tukaram Maharaj and Sant Dnyaneshwar Maharaj, start their three-week-long journeys from temple towns of Dehu and Alandi to reach Pandharpur on the auspicious occasion of Ashadhi Ekadashi on July 25.
Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Sunetra Ajit Pawar, who is also the Guardian Minister of Pune district, said in a post on X that the accident involving Warkaris on the Saswad–Jejuri road was “deeply painful and heartbreaking.” She paid heartfelt tributes to those who lost their lives in the mishap and expressed solidarity with the bereaved families.
The DCM also visited the accident site and later the hospital where the injured Warkaris are undergoing treatment. She enquired about their health, met their family members and offered words of comfort. Assuring full support from the state government, she said every possible assistance would be extended to the families of the deceased as well as to those injured in the accident.