Three women warkaris killed in Pune accident; Maharashtra govt announces Rs 5-lakh aid for kin

Three women participating in the Sant Dnyaneshwar Maharaj Palkhi procession were killed and seven others injured after a truck rammed into a group of warkaris near the Belsar toll naka on the SaswadndashJejuri road in Pune district on Monday morningThe accident occurred near the Belsar toll naka on the SaswadndashJejuri road when a truck accompanying a wari procession allegedly hit a group of warkaris participating in the Sant Dnyaneshwar Maharaj Palkhi procession Police are investigating the incidentMaharashtra leaders express grief over Jejuri wari tragedySeveral Maharashtra leaders expressed grief over the incidentCalling the accident extremely heartbreaking Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis paid tribute to the deceased pilgrimsHe said the injured had been admitted to a nearby hospital and were receiving treatmentldquoThe tragic death of three Warkaris in an accident near Jejuri in Pune district is an extremely heartbreaking incident Senior officials rushed to the spot immediately after receiving information and we are continuously monitoring the situationrdquo Fadnavis said in a post on X 3 hellipmdash Devendra Fadnavis Dev_Fadnavis July 13 2026Following the tragedy Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Sunetra Ajit Pawar visited the injured pilgrims at the Jejuri Rural Hospital in Pune district and announced Rs 5 lakh financial assistance for the families of the deceasedPawar reached the hospital soon after learning about the accident and enquired about the condition of the injured pilgrims She also reviewed their treatment with medical officers and directed the administration to ensure that the injured receive the best possible medical careThe deputy CM also said the state government would bear the entire cost of treatment for the injured and extend additional financial assistance if requiredThe government stands firmly with the accidentaffected Warkaris and their families she said adding that the district administration had been instructed to ensure that there was no shortcoming in the treatment of the injuredPawar stated that directions had been issued to the Pune District Collector superintendent of police chief executive officer of the zilla parishad and other authorities concerned to provide all necessary assistanceSafety of warkaris a collective responsibilityAppealing to motorists to exercise caution Pawar said the safety of the warkaris undertaking the foot pilgrimage to Pandharpur was a collective responsibility and urged drivers to be extra vigilant while travelling on roads used by the pilgrimsJejuri Municipal Council President Jaydeep Dilip Barbhai SubDivisional Officer Varsha Landge Tehsildar Vikram Rajput chief trustee of the Shri Dnyaneshwar Maharaj Sansthan Yogi Niranjannath Guru Shantinath Bhavarth Dekhne and other officials were present during Pawars visitEarlier she had expressed her grief on social media platform XldquoThe accident that occurred today on the SaswadndashJejuri route is extremely heartbreaking I offer my heartfelt tribute to the three Warkari sisters who lost their lives in this tragic mishap and share in the grief of their familiesrdquo Pawar said in a post on X ndash hellipmdash Sunetra Ajit Pawar SunetraA_Pawar July 13 2026Deputy CM Eknath Shinde said the accident involving devotees travelling towards Pandharpur for Lord Vitthalrsquos darshan was deeply distressing He assured that the government had directed authorities to implement stringent safety measures during the ongoing pilgrimageldquoThe government accords the highest priority to the safety of Warkaris and every possible effort is being made to prevent such unfortunate incidents We pay our humble tributes to those who lost their lives and pray for the speedy recovery of the injuredrdquo Shinde said hellipmdash Eknath Shinde mieknathshinde July 13 2026NCP SP MP Supriya Sule also expressed grief over the tragedy describing it as ldquoheartbreaking and unfortunaterdquoldquoThe incident involving a vehicle carrying Warkaris near Jejuri is extremely heartbreaking Some Warkaris lost their lives while others sustained injuries We share the grief of the bereaved families and pray for the speedy recovery of the injuredrdquo Sule wrote on X hellipmdash Supriya Sule supriya_sule July 13 2026Meanwhile Pune Rural Superintendent of Police Sandip Singh Gill said the truck belonged to the dindi group of pilgrims of Rangnath Maharaj from Loha in Nanded district and hit a group of warkaris from the Kasbedigraj Dindi in Sangli district around 500 metres from the Belsar toll naka towards JejuriEvery year thousands of warkaris from across Maharashtra undertake the annual wari pilgrimage to Pandharpur in Solapur district to offer prayers at the Vitthal temple on the occasion of Ashadhi Ekadashi