Driver of tractor-trolley that overturned in Khandwa pond killing 11 arrested

Khandwa: Police on Friday arrested the driver of the tractor-trolley which overturned and sank in a pond during Durga idol immersions in Madhya Pradesh's Khandwa district, killing 11 people.

Deepak (20), son of Sakharam, was arrested from Dhulkot forest area, 8 km from the site of the tragedy, after being on the run for two days, Additional Superintendent of Police Mahendra Tarnekar told PTI.

The incident had taken place at Padla Fata village in Pandhana tehsil on Vijayadashami on Thursday when the Navdurga festival concluded.

The Kotwar (village-level government assistant) and other people at the Ardla pond had warned Deepak not to drive the tractor into the water, but he allegedly did not heed them, the police official said.

A case of culpable homicide not amounting to murder was registered against him under section 105 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and he will be produced before a court for remand, ASP Tarnekar said.

Pandhana police station in-charge Dilip Devda said Deepak fled the scene in panic after the tragedy.

Four persons injured in the incident are undergoing treatment at the Khandwa district hospital, he said.