A tragic accident struck Maharashtra's annual Waari pilgrimage on Monday morning after a truck accompanying the procession allegedly ran over a group of women devotees near Jejuri in Pune district, killing three and injuring four others.
According to police records, the accident took place around 8:30 am, around 500 metres from the Belsar toll plaza on the road towards Jejuri, about 12 kilometres ahead of the main palkhi (palanquin) procession. The victims are among the people on a centuries-old pilgrimage to Pandharpur, one of the most revered religious traditions in Maharashtra.
Police said the 70-year-old truck driver had fever and a cold and was taking medication at the time of the incident. Preliminary investigations indicate that when trying to overtake another vehicle, the driver suddenly swerved left, causing the truck to plough into the group of women walking along the route.
Three women devotees, known as warkaris, died on the spot or succumbed to their injuries after the accident. Four others were injured and were taken to nearby hospitals and are currently undergoing treatment for their wounds. Their condition is not yet known.
Police are investigating the driver’s medical condition, and negligence or mechanical failure are believed to be factors in the tragic accident.
The accident has cast a shadow on the annual Pandharpur Waari, a spiritual pilgrimage in which lakhs of devotees from all over Maharashtra come every year. The pilgrimage culminates at the Lord Vitthal Temple in Pandharpur, where devotees gather to celebrate Ashadhi Ekadashi on 25th July.
The Waari is one of India's oldest and largest religious processions, with devotees walking hundreds of kilometres singing devotional hymns and carrying the sacred palkhis of Sant Dnyaneshwar and Sant Tukaram. Thousands of support vehicles (trucks carrying food, water, luggage and medical supplies) accompany the pilgrims along the way.
Local police and emergency teams rushed to the scene, and rescue work and road clearing were done, they said. Safety arrangements for the rest of the pilgrimage are to be reviewed to avoid such incidents, they said.
The tragedy prompts ever more concerns over road safety for thousands of people and support vehicles that can travel over long distances in large religious gatherings. Traffic control and vehicle movement arrangements and other measures to ensure the safety of devotees are going to be discussed by authorities and taken into account in the last three days of the Waari.
There is more investigation underway, and police will take appropriate legal action based on the findings.
