05 October,2025 06:03 PM IST | Beed (Maharashtra) | mid-day online correspondent
The pickup van driver has been detained, a police official said. Representational Pic/File
One woman was killed and four persons sustained injuries after a speeding pickup van rammed into a group of devotees marching towards Nagnath temple in Maharashtra's Beed district on Sunday, a police official said, reported the PTI.
The incident occurred around 4 am near Raimoha in Shirur Kasar tehsil on Beed-Manur road, about 25 km away from Mumbai, he added.
"Van driver Khatal Mininath (46) lost control of the vehicle due to high speed. It dashed into a Veerashaiva Lingayat dindi (religious procession). Sindhu Santosh Gheware (42) died on the spot. Suman Siddheshwar Chipade (34), Aruna Umesh Kalmkar (36), Rukmini Amarnath Kalmkar (44), and Vaishnavi Pashupati Bhure (16) were injured and have been hospitalised," the official said, according to the PTI.
The procession started from Majalgaonkar Math in Beed on Friday afternoon for the annual Nav Gun Yatra at Manur's Nagnath Temple, scheduled for October 5, he added.
The pickup van driver has been detained, the police official added.
Meanwhile, in an another incident, a family holiday turned tragic for a Nagpur-based hotelier and his family when a road accident in Italy claimed the lives of Javed Akhtar (57) and his wife Nadra on the final day of their European tour. Their daughter Arzoo (22) remains in critical condition, while their other children, Shifa (18) and Jazel (15), also sustained injuries, reported the PTI.
The accident occurred on the morning of October 2 in Grosseto, Tuscany, when the family's nine-seater taxi collided with another vehicle. The Akhtars, residents of Civil Lines in Nagpur, were on a 10-day holiday across Italy and France.
Speaking to PTI, a relative, Iqbal Azmi, a retired deputy superintendent of police, confirmed the details.
"Javed and Nadra sadly died in the crash. Arzoo has undergone surgery and remains unconscious. Shifa and Jazel are also injured. We managed to speak with Shifa via video call. Two of our relatives have left for Italy," Azmi said, according to the PTI.
He added that the Maharashtra state administration, along with Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, is assisting the family with all necessary arrangements. The family owns Gulshan Plaza Hotel in Nagpur.
Nagpur Collector Vipin Itankar confirmed that district authorities are coordinating with the Indian Embassy in Italy to facilitate the repatriation of the bodies. Local officials have also visited the bereaved family's home.
The local hospitality industry has expressed deep sorrow over the loss. "It's heartbreaking. We only found out about the tragedy yesterday," said Vijay Chourasia, owner of Hotel Status, located adjacent to Akhtar's hotel.
The incident has cast a pall of gloom over Nagpur's hotel fraternity, who described Javed and Nadra as respected and well-liked figures in the business community, the news agency reported.
(with PTI inputs)
