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Pall of gloom descends upon Indore after losing nine lives in Dindori tragedy
In a settlement of around 3,000 people, where daily life revolves round farming, the loss has struck at the heart of the community
A day after nine members of a family died when their vehicle fell into an unprotected, water-filled, roadside well in Dindori, a heavy, unsettling silence hangs over Indore village of the taluka.
In a settlement of around 3,000 people, where daily life revolves round farming, the loss has struck at the heart of the community. At the centre of this tragedy is 35-year-old Anil Manohar Dargode, who has neither slept nor eaten since Friday night. Anil, a tomato grower, had watched, helplessly, as the multi-utility vehicle carrying his family disappeared into the deep darkness of the well. Inside the vehicle were his wife Asha, son Shreyas and daughter Shravani. They were among the nine victims — all relatives — who died in the accident.
Anil’s nephew, Sharad Dhatrak, said, “Anil had also attended the function in Dindori but he chose to return on his motorcycle instead of travelling in the MUV. Had he been in that vehicle, he would not have survived either.”
The journey back home, barely six kilometres, turned into a nightmare as the MUV, which was ahead of Anil, suddenly veered off the road and plummeted into the well.
“He saw the vehicle fall into the well. That moment has stayed with him. He has been crying continuously and is refusing to eat. He also saw the bodies being taken out. It will take a long time for him to come to terms with it,” said Sharad.
Sunday morning, Anil had to be rushed to a private hospital in Dindori after his condition worsened. He was discharged after a few hours with medication, but those around him say that the shock runs deeper than what the treatment can address.
The victims also included Anil’s extended family — his cousin Sunil Dattatray Dargode, Sunil’s wife Reshma and their daughter Gunwanti; along with Anil’s nieces Samruddhi, Shraddha and Shravani.
The Dargode family, one of the larger families in the village, lives in two adjoining houses — both now filled with those mourning the death of most of the Dargode family members. All the minors who died in the tragedy were studying either in primary or secondary school.
Since Friday night, there has been a steady stream of relatives, neighbours and acquaintances visiting to pay their last respects. Inside the homes, the grief is raw and unfiltered. Outside, the village has come to a near standstill.
“The men have not gone to the fields since yesterday. Everyone is in shock,” said Sharad.
When state ministers Girish Mahajan and Narhari Zirwal met the villagers near the site of the accident on Saturday, residents simply pointed to a danger that had for long gone unaddressed. Villagers said there had been earlier instances of cattle falling into the same well.
“Had the authorities acted then and closed the well, this tragedy could have been avoided. People here believe this loss could have been prevented,” Sharad said.
Following the ministers’ visit, the Dindori Nagar Panchayat moved quickly to close the well. Civic officials said that more than 1,200 tonnes of boulders, debris and soil were used to fill it. The operation took over six hours and was completed by Saturday evening.
Even as the administration acted after the tragedy, questions remain over how the well — located so dangerously close to a road along a residential stretch — was left open for years.
The police said that the well owner, Rajendra Raje, has not been able to be traced ever since the mishap. “We have tried to contact him, but he is not available,” police sources said. Inspector Bhagwan Mathure of Dindori police station said efforts are underway to locate and arrest him.
Back in Indore village, however, these developments offer little solace. The silence is broken only by the sounds of mourning, as a community struggles to come to terms with a loss of such magnitude.
