Six Gujarat youths killed as speeding truck hits van near Dhar, MP
Synopsis
Six young men from Gujarat — returning from the Mahakal Temple in Ujjain — were killed when a speeding trailer truck drove on the wrong side of the Dhar-Ujjain highway and destroyed their van near Panchkawasa village. The truck driver fled but was swiftly apprehended. Two victims remain unidentified.
Key Takeaways
Six youths from Godhra and Panchmahal , Gujarat, were killed in a head-on crash on the Dhar-Ujjain-Petlawad highway on 9 August .
The group was returning home after prayers at the Mahakal Temple, Ujjain .
A trailer truck bearing registration GJ39TB9248 was allegedly travelling on the wrong side of the road when it struck the van.
Five died on the spot; the sixth succumbed while being taken to Badnawar Civil Hospital .
Four victims have been identified; two remain unidentified as of the latest police update.
The truck driver, who initially fled, was arrested ; a case has been registered against him.
Six youths from Godhra and Panchmahal districts of Gujarat were killed on Sunday, 9 August after a trailer truck travelling on the wrong side of the road rammed their van near Panchkawasa village on the Dhar-Ujjain-Petlawad four-lane highway in Madhya Pradesh. The group had been returning home after offering prayers at the Mahakal Temple in Ujjain.
How the Collision Happened
According to police, the crash occurred at approximately 1:00 pm when a van bearing registration number GJ17CK6134, carrying seven youths, was heading towards Gujarat. A trailer truck bearing registration number GJ39TB9248, loaded with iron goods, was reportedly speeding on the wrong side of the Badnawar-Ujjain stretch when it struck the oncoming van head-on. The impact was so severe that the van was completely mangled.
Victims and Casualties
Five of the seven occupants died on the spot. A sixth youth, who had suffered critical injuries, was pulled from the wreckage alive but died while being transported to hospital. The seventh occupant's status was not specified in official accounts. Additional Superintendent of Police, Dhar, Vijay Dabur, identified four of the deceased as Nitesh Bhai, son of Prakash Bhai (Godhra); Mayur Kumar Chouhan, son of Prakash Bhai (Godhra); Vishal Kumar, son of Ramesh Bai Parmar (Panchmahal); and Rakesh, son of Bhupat Bhai (Godhra). Two others are yet to be identified, according to police.
Rescue and Response
Local villagers and police personnel broke open the van's windows and, after considerable effort, extricated the bodies and the injured youth. The critically injured person was rushed by ambulance to Badnawar Civil Hospital but did not survive. Badnawar Station In-charge Amit Singh Kushwaha, Tehsildar Suresh Nagar, and SDM Priyanka Mimrod reached the scene with a police team and apprehended the truck driver, who had fled immediately after the crash.
Legal Action and Aftermath
Police conducted a panchnama (formal inquest proceedings) at the accident site. The bodies of all six deceased have been kept in the Civil Hospital mortuary pending post-mortem examinations. A case has been registered against the trailer truck driver. Families of the identified victims in Gujarat have been notified. Traffic on the four-lane highway was disrupted temporarily before police cleared the wreckage and restored normal flow.
This incident adds to a pattern of fatal wrong-side driving accidents on Madhya Pradesh's national and state highways, where enforcement of lane discipline on four-lane corridors remains a persistent concern.
Point of View
Yet median barriers, speed cameras, and real-time surveillance remain inconsistent on such routes. Six young men returning from a temple visit are dead because a loaded truck was allowed to travel in the opposite lane at speed, in daylight. The swift arrest of the driver is necessary but insufficient; the structural question is why wrong-side movement on a divided highway goes unchecked long enough to cause a head-on collision. State highway authorities and the National Highways Authority of India owe a credible answer.
NationPress
9 Aug 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Where did the Gujarat youths' road accident happen?
The accident occurred near Panchkawasa village on the Dhar-Ujjain-Petlawad four-lane highway in Madhya Pradesh on 9 August. The van was on the Badnawar-Ujjain stretch when a trailer truck coming from the wrong side struck it head-on.
Who were the victims of the Dhar highway accident?
Four of the six victims have been identified as Nitesh Bhai and Mayur Kumar Chouhan (both from Godhra), Vishal Kumar from Panchmahal, and Rakesh from Godhra. Two others are yet to be identified, according to Dhar police.
Why were the youths travelling on the Dhar-Ujjain highway?
The group of seven youths was returning to Gujarat after offering prayers at the Mahakal Temple in Ujjain, a major Hindu pilgrimage site in Madhya Pradesh.
Was the truck driver arrested?
Yes. The truck driver fled the scene immediately after the crash but was subsequently chased and apprehended by a police team led by Badnawar Station In-charge Amit Singh Kushwaha. A case has been registered against him.
What is the current status of the victims' bodies?
The bodies of all six deceased have been kept in the Civil Hospital mortuary in Badnawar pending post-mortem examinations. Police have informed the families of the four identified victims in Gujarat.
