Three-Year-Old Girl Killed in Gondia Hit-and-Run Triggering Villager Protest
A three-year-old girl died on Tuesday night after being hit by a speeding Bolero goods vehicle on Kati Marg, near the weekly market in Dasgaon village, Gondia taluka. The incident, which occurred at around 8:00 PM, sparked intense protests and a road blockade by local villagers demanding the immediate arrest of the driver who fled the scene.
The victim's father, Laxmichand Sewaiwar, a resident of Balmatola, had taken his daughter to the weekly market in Dasgaon. According to reports, the father and daughter were preparing to return home after shopping when the unidentified speeding Bolero goods vehicle hit them on Kati Marg.
The severe impact left both the father and daughter lying in a pool of blood. The driver of the vehicle immediately fled the spot. Local villagers rushed to help and transported the young girl to a nearby hospital, where she was declared dead.
Following the tragedy, the victim's family approached the local police. However, the family alleged that the police did not provide immediate assurances regarding the arrest of the accused driver. In protest, Sewaiwar initially refused to hand over his daughter's body for a post-mortem examination until concrete action was taken.
Angry villagers, along with former Zilla Parishad member Narendra Turkar, joined the father in demanding justice. They staged a protest and a road blockade in Dasgaon to demand the arrest of the driver and the seizure of the Bolero.
The blockade continued until the police provided a written assurance to the grieving family, promising that the accused driver would be arrested soon. Following this written guarantee, the family handed over the toddler's body for a post-mortem examination at around 3:00 AM.
Local residents noted that this was the third accident on this route within the last two months. Villagers expressed frustration, stating they had previously requested the administration to ban heavy and large vehicles from using the road on market days, but their appeals had been ignored.
