Maharashtra Tragedy: What was supposed to be a night of celebration and pride for the Durgade family turned into an unimaginable nightmare on Friday. Six children, fresh from their performances at their school’s annual day, were killed along with three adults when their vehicle veered into a 40-foot-deep uncovered well in Dindori.
The tragedy struck around midnight, just 20 km from Nashik, as the family was heading home. By Saturday, three ambulances arrived at Indore village in Dindori, carrying the bodies of nine family members for their final rites. The accident has devastated four interconnected families, all related through two sets of brothers.
From Applause to Silence
Hours before the crash, the atmosphere was electric at Janta English School. The children had danced to the hit track “Mauli Mauli” and several patriotic songs. Among them was 10-year-old Rakhi, who had just been honored on stage for scoring the highest marks in her class.
“We were all sitting together after the performances. Everyone was so happy,” said Ajay Durgade, a 14-year-old cousin who is still struggling to process the loss. He recalled how the group decided to leave slightly early to beat the traffic. “That was the last time I saw them,” he said, staring blankly at the ground.
A Village in Mourning
The victims include children across various grades:
- Rakhi (Gunwati): Class 4 (Topper)
- Samruddhi: The youngest, a Class 1 student
- Shravani & Shreyas: Both in Class 5
- Shraddha: Class 7
- Shrishti: Class 8
The adults lost in the crash were Sunil Durgade, a farmer who had volunteered to drive the kids, his wife Reshma, and Asha Durgade.
A “Death Trap” Hidden in Plain Sight
The 40-foot-deep well sits at the dead end of a newly constructed concrete road—a literal cliff-edge with no warning signs. While locals say the well has been there for decades, the surrounding area recently shifted from farmland to a residential zone (NA land).
A bitter dispute appears to be at the heart of the negligence. According to Dindori police, the local nagar panchayat wanted to flatten the well years ago, but a landowner moved court to stop them, claiming he still needed it for farming. “It was a disaster waiting to happen,” a police officer admitted, noting that anyone unfamiliar with the road would have no way of seeing the hole in the dark.
“We Want Answers”
Angry relatives and villagers are now pointing fingers at the administration. While Dindori Zilla Panchayat CEO S. Chaudhary claimed a resolution to fill the well was passed earlier this year, residents say it’s too little, too late. They allege that a biker and even cattle had fallen into the same well previously, yet no action was taken.
“Once the last rites are over, we are going to the police,” said Sachin Durgade, a relative. “We want to know why this well was left open for so long despite so many complaints. Someone has to be held responsible for this.”
