Hassan ganesha procession turns deadly: 9 youths killed after truck ploughs into crowd

A night of devotion turned into tragedy in Mosalehosahalli, Hassan, as a speeding truck rammed into a Ganesha procession, killing nine youngsters aged 17-25. Political leaders have expressed grief and demanded strict action

In a heart-wrenching tragedy that has shaken Hassan district, nine young lives were lost during a Ganesha immersion procession at Mosalehosahalli village on Friday night. The victims, aged between 17 and 25, were celebrating with music and devotion when a truck suddenly rammed into the crowd, leaving the festive atmosphere shattered.

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Chief Minister Siddaramaiah expressed deep sorrow, tweeting prayers for the departed souls and speedy recovery for the injured. He announced a ₹5 lakh ex-gratia compensation for each victim’s family. Former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda, Union Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy, and Deputy CM D.K. Shivakumar also conveyed condolences, calling the incident “deeply unfortunate.”

ಹಾಸನದಲ್ಲಿ ಗಣೇಶ ವಿಸರ್ಜನೆಗಾಗಿ ಮೆರವಣಿಗೆಯಲ್ಲಿ ತೆರಳುತ್ತಿದ್ದವರ ಮೇಲೆ ಲಾರಿ ಹರಿದು ಹಲವರು ಸಾವಿಗೀಡಾಗಿ, ಸುಮಾರು 20ಕ್ಕೂ ಹೆಚ್ಚು ಮಂದಿ ಗಂಭೀರ ಗಾಯಗೊಂಡ ಸುದ್ದಿ ತಿಳಿದು ಅತೀವ ದುಃಖವಾಯಿತು.
ಮೃತರ ಆತ್ಮಕ್ಕೆ ಶಾಂತಿ ಸಿಗಲಿ, ಗಾಯಾಳುಗಳು ಆದಷ್ಟು ಶೀಘ್ರ ಗುಣಮುಖರಾಗಲಿ ಎಂದು ಪ್ರಾರ್ಥಿಸುತ್ತೇನೆ.

ಮೃತರ ಕುಟುಂಬಗಳಿಗೆ ಸರ್ಕಾರದ ವತಿಯಿಂದ…

— Siddaramaiah (@siddaramaiah) September 12, 2025

Local MLA H.D. Revanna, who rushed to the spot, alleged police negligence, stating that no barricades were placed and no officers were present to regulate the procession. He demanded that the compensation be raised to at least ₹10-15 lakh and called for accountability from authorities.

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The victims include students and daily wage workers-among them Praveen Kumar (BE final-year student from Bihar), Rajesh (17), Eshwar (17), Gokul (17), Kumar (25), Praveen (25), Mithun (23), Prabhakar, and one unidentified youth.

This incident adds to the growing concerns about the safety of religious processions in Karnataka, with experts urging stricter crowd management, traffic control, and police deployment to prevent such tragedies.

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