A 31-year-old woman was killed and her six-year-old son critically injured after a gravel-laden truck crashed into their scooter on Nagpur’s Godhani–Mankapur Road, triggering a protest and renewed anger over repeated safety failures on the stretch. The incident is the second fatal truck crash reported at the same location within 34 days.
Ashwini Phalke was travelling pillion with her son, Advik, while her husband, Pankaj, was riding the scooter when the collision occurred. According to the report, Ashwini pushed the child away moments before she was run over by the truck. She died at the spot after sustaining fatal head injuries. Advik was taken to a private hospital in critical condition, while Pankaj escaped with his life after falling several feet away from the truck.
The crash also damaged roadside shops, kiosks and carts. The truck driver initially fled the scene, and residents gathered in large numbers, blocking the road for more than four hours. The situation developed into a law-and-order issue, prompting Additional Commissioner of Police Vinita Sahu to visit the area and speak with the crowd.
Mankapur police later arrested Sheikh Jameel, 45, a resident of Swarnagar, after examining CCTV footage and identifying the truck. Police are investigating the exact sequence of the collision. The report carries two accounts of how the crash occurred: some accounts say the truck struck the scooter from behind, while others indicate that the vehicle may have skidded before running over Ashwini. CCTV footage is being examined to establish what happened.
The vehicle was reportedly carrying gravel to a construction site. Residents said heavy trucks frequently travel through the area at high speed and alleged that the road remains dangerous because of inadequate street lighting, encroachments and illegal occupation of footpaths and carriageways. They also pointed to prolonged construction work that has narrowed the road, along with a lack of traffic surveillance and regular patrolling.
Senior officials from the Nagpur Municipal Corporation, Nagpur Improvement Trust and the Maharashtra State Electricity Board were summoned after the protest. Residents demanded accountability and action on the road conditions rather than assurances, noting that the earlier crash on September 30 killed Muskan Khiyaldasani, a second-year BTech student who was travelling pillion on an electric scooter near Zingabai Takli.
With two women killed on the same broader stretch within 34 days, the incident has brought renewed attention to how road design, construction activity, freight movement, encroachments, lighting and traffic enforcement are being managed together. The police said they would soon begin a joint drive with civic agencies to remove encroachments, clear footpaths, improve road width and ensure proper illumination.
