Children from 5 families lose mothers in Mandla:Funerals held together as villagers demand ₹25 lakh compensation, jobs arrest of hit-and-run driver

My two sisters are married. Now it was my turn to get married. On January 20, my mom and dad were going to see a boy for me. My mother used to do labour work so that we could save some money for my wedding. That monster crushed and killed my mother. Our financial condition is very weak. We don’t know what will happen next. These are the words of 18-year-old Sukrati Uike, daughter of Gomata Bai, who was killed in the Jabalpur hit-and-run case. Since her mother’s death, Sukrati is devastated and emotionally shattered. She is not the only one suffering such a loss. In Bamhori village of Mandla district, five more children have lost their mothers in the same incident. The entire village has been plunged into grief and the families are in deep distress, crying continuously. First see 3 pictures… Accident: Lunch break turns deadly The incident occurred on January 18 2026, around noon, near Barela police station. A car ploughed into a group of workers who were having lunch while cleaning the National Highway. Two women- Chainwati Bai and Lachho Bai- died instantly at the spot and eleven others were injured. Late on Saturday night, news reached the village that three more women- Krishna, Gomta, and Ghasiti (Varsha Kushram)- had succumbed to their injuries in hospital. Eight workers remain injured, with two in a serious condition. The driver of the car is still at large and has not been arrested. Villagers block highway for five hours The bodies of the first two victims reached the village on Saturday evening. After the deaths of three more women in hospital that night, the bodies were handed over to relatives on Monday morning after post-mortems. The families, overwhelmed by grief and anger, took the bodies to the highway and began protesting. Thousands of villagers joined them, blocking the National Highway for about five hours. The traffic jam stretched nearly 10 kilometres, as protesters raised slogans against the NHAI, the government and local administration. Blockade continued till 5:30 pm The blockade continued until 5:30 pm, when Additional SP Suryakant Sharma, Additional Collector Nathuram Gond and SDM Abhishek Singh intervened. After negotiations, the families agreed to end the protest. Their demands included ₹25 lakh compensation for each deceased family, employment for one member of each family, and ₹10 lakh compensation for the injured. The administration accepted most of these demands. Grief and rituals, bodies buried at night The village was plunged into mourning as the bodies arrived. Mandla police were deployed across Bamhori to maintain order. Villagers dug graves in the jungle about two kilometres from the village. The bodies were kept at home for around an hour and by 9 pm, all five women were buried in the presence of hundreds of villagers. ‘It was my turn to get married’- A daughter’s pain Eighteen-year-old Sukrati Uike, daughter of Gomta Bai, one of the deceased, shared her heartbreak. My two sisters are married. Now it was my turn to get married. On 20 January, my parents were going to meet a boy for me. My mother used to work as a labourer to save money for my wedding. That monster crushed and killed her. Our financial condition is very weak. We don’t know what will happen next. Sukrati is not alone in her grief. In Bamhori village, five other children have lost their mothers in the same tragedy. Since the incident, the entire village has been in mourning, with family members crying continuously. Poor women, low wages: A struggle for survival The Dainik Bhaskar team visited Bamhori village and spoke to the bereaved families. All five deceased women were from extremely poor households and were working for daily wages of just ₹230. Their earnings were used to support their families and to save for the upcoming fair on 26 January. Gomta Bai, in particular, was working to collect money for her third daughter’s marriage. Her daughter Sukrati said, My mother was going for labour work because we are poor. My marriage was fixed, so she was collecting money. My two sisters are already married, and I am the last daughter. We were supposed to meet the prospective groom on Tuesday, but before that, my mother left us. Family members speak: Reality of poverty Krishna Kuraf’s son, Abhishek Kuraf, broke down in tears, saying, “I lost both my mother and grandmother at the same time.” Krishna’s sister-in-law, Preeti Khusre, added, “If we don’t earn, what will we eat? My mother and sister-in-law went to work for food. Tuesday was market day, and they needed money for vegetables and household items. We tried to stop them, but they didn’t listen.” Lachho Bai’s daughter, Bhagwanti, is devastated. Her father died seven years ago, leaving Lachho to support the family alone. Bhagwanti said her mother had been fasting for the Gond Baba ritual on that day. “We tried to stop her, but she said she needed to go for two more days because the fair was coming and she had to earn for the grandchildren,” she said. “Who knew she would die on the day of fasting.” Varsha Kushram’s daughter, Archana, who is studying BA in Mandla, said she was not informed of her mother’s death immediately. “Mother worked so that I could study,” she said. “She had told me to come to the fair on 26 January.” Wage scam: Broker kept ₹70 from workers SDM Abhishek Singh said the NHAI had directed that workers be paid ₹300 per day, but the families revealed they were receiving only ₹230. A local broker was bringing the women for work and keeping ₹70 for himself. The broker has been identified and action will be taken against him soon. The administration has promised to provide compensation and employment as per the families’ demands. Meanwhile, the hunt for the driver of the car continues, and the villagers are demanding strict action against the main accused.