3 women pilgrims killed, 4 injured as truck runs over Warkaris in Pune district

2 min readPuneJul 13, 2026 10:04 AM IST

The Pune Rural police said that a truck carrying some warkaris from Nanded district ran over a group of other pilgrims, who belonged to Kasbedigraj in Sangli. (Representative image)

Three women pilgrims of Ashadhi Wari were killed and four others were critically injured after a truck carrying them ploughed into a group walking on Saswad Jejuri Road in Pune district in the early hours of Monday.

The Pune Rural police said that a truck carrying some warkaris from Nanded district ran over a group of other pilgrims, who belonged to Kasbedigraj in Sangli, near Belsar toll plaza, around 500 meters from Jejuri town in Purandar taluka of Pune district.

“The injured women have been shifted to a hospital in Jejuri for treatment. Primary probe suggests that the driver of the truck lost control at high speed and ran over multiple Warkaris,” said an officer.

The annual Wari began with the departure of Sant Dnyaneshwar Maharaj’s Palkhi from Alandi on July 8 and Sant Tukaram Maharaj’s Palkhi from Dehu on July 7. The two Palkhis entered Pune city on July 9, remained there until July 10, and resumed their onward journey towards Pandharpur on July 11. They are scheduled to reach Pandharpur on July 24, ahead of the Ashadhi Ekadashi celebrations on July 25.

The Palkhis, or the procession of the palanquins carrying the Paduka or revered symbolic footwear of Sant Tukaram Maharaj and Sant Dnyaneshwar Maharaj, start their three-week-long journeys from temple towns of Dehu and Alandi to reach Pandharpur on the auspicious occasion of Ashadhi Ekadashi.