Bharuch (Gujarat), December 31, 2012: Two Jain monks died on the spot after they were run over by a truck on national highway 8 near Bharuch in the wee hours of Tuesday.
The monks were identified as Shree Gyanshekhar Vijay Maharaj and Shri Hastigiri Maharaj. They, along with two other monks, had set out from Bharuch for Asuriya village barefooted as part of their worship.
When they were walking along the side of the highway, a heavy duty loaded truck rammed them from behind between Nabipur and Bharuch, police said. All the monks were from Navsari.
Jain community in Bharuch and nearby villages gathered in large numbers at the civil hospital and voiced their anger against the incident. They demanded a detailed investigation.
“Everywhere in the world there are footpaths along highways. We have been demanding footpaths since several years. Every day hundreds of Jain monks travel by foot on highways, which is highly risky in absence of proper footpaths,” said Prem Sunder Vijay, a monk who escaped unhurt in the accident.
Palkhi Yatra of both the monks was taken out in Bharuch city and attended by the community members in large number.
The truck driver escaped from the spot after the accident. – News Courtesy: Times of India