On September 12, 2025, a truck drove into people celebrating the Hindu religious festival of Ganesh Chaturthi in Mosale Hosahalli village, Hassan district, Karnataka, India, killing ten people and injuring 22 others, including the driver. The cause of the accident is under investigation.
Ganesh Chaturthi is a Hindu festival celebrating the birthday of Ganesha, a Hindu deity.[1] The festival ends on the tenth day after start, when the murti(idol) is carried in a public procession with music and group chanting, then immersed in a nearby body of water such as a river or sea, called visarjana on the day of Ananta Chaturdashi. In Mumbai alone, around 150,000 murtis are immersed annually.[1][2][3]
The incident occurred seven days after Lashkar-e-Jihadi warned Greater Mumbai Police that multiple terrorist attacks involving 34 explosive-laden vehicles and 14 terrorists were being planned for the festival in Mumbai, Maharashtra. Security was tightened, but no known attacks took place.[4]
Accident
Between 8:00p.m. and 8:45p.m., a speeding truck reportedly coming from Arkalgud and heading towards Holenarasipura lost control, hit a two-wheeler, jumped over a median on the Hassan-Mysore National Highway-373 and drove into a crowd of devotees at a Ganesh Chaturthi immersion procession five minutes before it was schedueled to end while trying to avoid hitting a biker.[5][6] The biker was also struck by the truck and died.[7] The accident occurred on the final day of celebrations.[8]
Victims
At least ten people were killed and 22 others were injured, including the driver and at least eight critically, with the death toll expected to rise.[9][10][11] The injured victims were transported to the Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences and other private hospitals in the district. At least four people were pronounced dead at the scene after being trapped under the wheels. The victims were identified as seven villagers and three engineering students from the Government Engineering College in Hassan.[5] The victims were aged between 17 and 27.[12] Postmortems of nine of the ten people killed were completed by 3a.m. on September 13, with the bodies being handed over to their families.[6] Most of the people killed were young boys.[8]
Aftermath
The driver of the truck, identified as Bhuvenesh from Katte Belaguli village in Holenarasipura, was arrested and booked for reckless driving.[5] A senior police officer said "He is currently in the intensive care unit and we have drawn blood for analysis". Investigations into the cause of the crash are underway.[6] Bhuvenesh was assaulted after the accident and was shifted to the Jayadeva Institute of Cardiology in Bengaluru for further medical examination after complaining of chest pain on September 14.[13] False reports claimed the driver of the truck was identified as Muslim Mohammad Feroz and the incident was an Islamic terrorist attack.[14]
Reactions
Union Minister for Heavy Industries and SteelH. D. Kumaraswamy said "I was deeply shocked to hear the news of a horrific accident during the Ganapati immersion procession in Mosale Hosahalli of Hassan taluk, in which several people lost their lives and more than 20 were seriously injured. I am deeply saddened that devotees lost their lives when a truck ran over those taking part in the Ganapati procession. This is a very tragic incident."[8]Prime MinisterNarendra Modi expressed condolences, saying "The mishap in Hassan, Karnataka, is heart-rending. In this tragic hour, my thoughts are with the bereaved families. I hope those who have been injured recover at the earliest. An ex-gratia of Rs. 2 lakh from PMNRF would be given to the next of kin of each deceased. The injured would be given Rs. 50,000: PM". Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah said he was deeply saddened by the tragedy and said "On behalf of the Government of India, a compensation of Rs. 5 lakh each will be provided to the families of the deceased. The government will also bear the medical expenses for the treatment of those injured in the incident. This is a profoundly painful moment. Let us all stand with the families affected by this tragedy." Indian politician H. D. Revanna went to the scene and supervised relief efforts. He blamed the Karnataka Police, saying they should have regulated the speed of the vehicle. Karnataka Legislative Council member Suraj Revanna claimed police deployment was not enough for the procession. Member of Parliament, Lok SabhaShreyas M. Patel, Superintendent of Police for Hassan district Mohammed Sujeetha and Minister of Revenue Krishna Byre Gowda also went to the scene.[6]
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