Three Warkaris Killed After Truck Rams Pilgrims On Saswad-Jejuri Road
Three Warkari pilgrims were killed and four others were seriously injured early Monday morning after a truck carrying dindi luggage rammed into them near Bhongale Mala, close to the Belsar toll plaza on the Saswad–Jejuri road near Jejuri in Pune district. The devotees were walking towards Jejuri as part of the annual Ashadhi Ekadashi pilgrimage to Pandharpur.
The deceased have been identified as 70-year-old Nanda Pawar from Kavalapur, 55-year-old Madhavi Rajaram Salgare from Malgaon, and 55-year-old Rajshri Shankar Bhosale from Kasabe Digraj. All three women were residents of the Miraj taluka in Sangli district.
The fatal incident occurred near Hotel Shipdeep while the group of devotees accompanying Sant Dnyaneshwar Maharaj's palkhi procession was making its way along the road.
Local police quickly reached the scene, shifted the injured victims to a nearby hospital for urgent medical care, and detained the truck driver. The driver has been identified as 63-year-old Balaji Eknath Dak, a resident of Pimpalgaon in Nanded district.
According to the police investigation, Dak had reportedly taken medication for a fever before getting behind the wheel. Investigators suspect that the medicine made him drowsy, causing him to lose control of the Tata truck, registration MH-43 E-4908, which belonged to the Thathe Maharaj Bhoshikar Dindi. The vehicle then crashed directly into the group of Warkaris walking ahead of the procession.
Following the tragedy, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis announced financial assistance of Rs 5 lakh each for the families of the three deceased Warkaris.
Expressing his condolences on social media, Chief Minister Fadnavis wrote that the deaths of the three Warkaris were extremely heartbreaking. He offered his heartfelt tribute to the deceased and confirmed that the injured pilgrims had been promptly admitted to the nearest hospital, where necessary medical treatment is underway.
Police officials confirmed that a further investigation into the accident is currently ongoing.
