Fatehgarh Sahib (Punjab), Aug 9 (IANS) The sacred ‘Kanwar’ pilgrimage turned deadly for three devotees who reportedly lost their lives, while another was left critically injured, after being hit by an unidentified truck near Sirhind, in Punjab’s Fatehgarh Sahib district early on Sunday.
Speaking to IANS, Mukesh Kumar, ‘sevadar’ at Shiv Seva Kanwar Sangh, said: “There was an accident near Sirhind on the main highway between 2.15 and 2.30 a.m. There were around 100 Kanwariyas. An unidentified truck driver hit them. Six of them were hit, of whom three died, one was seriously injured, while two others are fine.”
The pilgrims were returning from Haridwar after taking the holy water of the River Ganga for Lord Shiva’s worship.
“The post-mortem examination of the deceased is currently underway, after which their bodies will be taken to their hometown through ambulances run by social organisations.”
In a similar incident reported from Bihar’s Begusarai on Thursday, a speeding truck rammed into a broken-down CNG tempo carrying devotees. The tempo driver died during treatment, while several Kanwariyas sustained injuries in the accident.
The incident occurred in the Sahebpur Kamal police station area between Bakhda Dhala and Sanha Dhala.
According to police, the CNG tempo was carrying devotees from Barauni to Sultanganj to collect holy Ganga water for offering to Lord Shiva.
After the vehicle developed a mechanical fault, the driver and the pilgrims stepped down and began pushing it along the roadside. At that moment, a speeding truck coming from behind allegedly crashed into the tempo and the devotees pushing it, triggering panic at the scene.
Last month, 18 Kanwariyas were killed in a bus-truck collision in Jharkhand’s Deoghar.
The incident occurred during the ongoing Shravani Mela, a time when thousands of devotees travel to offer sacred water at the Baba Baidyanath Dham temple.
The collision took place when a bus carrying about 35 devotees en route to Deoghar for offering ‘jal’ (holy water) at Baba Baidyanath Dham was struck head-on by a truck transporting gas cylinders.
Eyewitnesses described the scene as horrifying. The impact was so intense that the bus was reportedly torn apart, with screams echoing in the aftermath.
–IANS
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