Gwalior, Jul 23 (PTI) Four devotees out on the Kanwar Yatra were killed and two others injured when a speeding car hit them in Madhya Pradesh’s Gwalior district in the wee hours of Wednesday, police said.
After hitting the kanwariyas (devotees of Lord Shiva) while they were walking on a road side, the speeding car overturned as the driver lost control over the wheels, they said.
The car driver fled the spot but was later arrested, an official said.
Chief Minister Mohan Yadav expressed grief over the incident and announced an assistance of Rs 4 lakh to the kin of each of the deceased persons, the official said.
The incident took place at around 2 am on Shivpuri Link Road near Agra-Mumbai National Highway (NH-3) when one of the tyres of the speeding car burst, City Superintendent of Police (CSP) Hina Khan said.
While three Kanwariyas died on the spot, another one succumbed to his injuries in a hospital, the police official said.
Angry locals staged a protest at the accident spot and demanded arrest of the culprits.
The car driver fled the spot after the incident but was later arrested by the police, another official said.
The Kanwariyas were residents of Simaria village near Ghatigaon, according to police.
The deceased have been identified as Puran Banjara, Ramesh Banjara, Dinesh and Dharmendra, the police said, adding a probe was on into the incident.
CM Yadav expressed grief over the sudden death of four Kanwariyas in the accident during the holy Kanwar Yatra in Bhitarwar assembly constituency of Gwalior district, an official said.
He directed authorities to provide an ex-gratia amount of Rs 4 lakh each to the kin of the four deceased.
Yadav prayed to Lord Mahakal for peace of the departed souls.
The district administration was providing all possible help to the victims and instructed doctors to provide treatment free of cost to the injured persons, the official added. PTI COR MAS GK
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