A tribal woman in Madhya Pradesh's Rewa district died on Sunday, 6 July after her family and fellow villagers were forced to carry her on a traditional khatia (cot) for nearly two kilometres through a muddy track to reach a hospital — because no ambulance could access her village due to the absence of a motorable road. The woman, identified as Ramkali Rawat, wife of the late Ram Swayamvar Rawat, was struck by lightning in Nadna (Dihiya) Gram Panchayat, under the Mangawan Assembly constituency. She died before receiving any medical treatment.

What Happened on the Ground

The incident unfolded on Sunday evening when Ramkali Rawat was hit by lightning. With no proper road connecting the village to the main thoroughfare, the emergency ambulance service could not reach the spot. Desperate family members and neighbours lifted her on a cot and navigated nearly two kilometres of waterlogged, muddy terrain in a bid to get her to a hospital. Their effort came too late.

A video of the harrowing journey has since surfaced and circulated widely. Pushpendra Tiwari, a resident of Dihiya village, described the road's condition: 'No ambulance could reach the village because of the road. We had to carry the woman on a khatia for about 1 to 2 kilometres. Soil had been dumped on the road, but there was very little murram. The road was in such poor condition that even walking was difficult.'

A Four-Year Grievance Left Unresolved

Residents say they have repeatedly petitioned authorities over the last four years, demanding completion of the road connecting Dihiya and Nadna villages and action over alleged irregularities in the construction work. According to villagers, approximately 200 families in both villages are affected by the incomplete road, with around 40 to 45 families directly dependent on it for daily access.

A memorandum submitted by villagers to the Rewa District Collector on 12 August 2025 — a copy of which is available with this publication — alleged that only six truckloads of murram were laid on the road while the remaining funds were misappropriated. These allegations have not been officially verified.

Notably, this is the second such incident in five years. Tiwari recalled that during the COVID-19 pandemic, another woman from the same village had to be carried on a cot because no vehicle could reach her — and she too died.

What the MLA Said

Mangawan MLA Narendra Prajapati said he had sanctioned funds from his MLA fund for the road project — ₹4 lakh for one village and ₹2 lakh for Dihiya Gram Panchayat. According to him, nearly 70 per cent of the sanctioned amount had been released, but the remaining work could not be completed due to a shortage of funds. Villagers, however, contest this account, pointing to the memorandum alleging fund misappropriation.

Political Fallout

The incident has triggered sharp political reactions. Senior Indian National Congress (Congress) leader and former Union Minister Arun Yadav alleged that the tragedy exposed the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government's claims of 'double-engine development.' He questioned who bears accountability when the absence of basic infrastructure directly costs a life.

The district administration had issued no official statement at the time this report was filed. Villagers have demanded an independent inquiry into the alleged irregularities in road construction and punitive action against those responsible. With the monsoon deepening and roads deteriorating further, the demand for emergency access in remote Madhya Pradesh villages is unlikely to fade.