Indore, June 28 : A 32-hour-long traffic jam on the Indore-Dewas road in Madhya Pradesh on Friday brought the region to a standstill, with over 4,000 vehicles trapped in an 8-kilometre-long stretch, reports and police sources said.

Reportedly, the congestion led to the deaths of three individuals: Kamal Panchal from Indore, Sandeep Patel from Gari Pipalya, and Balram Patel from Shujalpur. Each tragedy underscores how administrative lapses in traffic management can turn into fatal consequences.

Kamal Panchal, a 62-year-old farmer and resident of Bijalpur, Indore, was on his way with family to attend his sister's post-funeral ceremony. His vehicle became stranded near Arjun Baroda village due to a traffic diversion. He began experiencing distress and collapsed inside the car. With no medical help accessible and traffic unmoving for over 90 minutes, his family could only get him to a nearby hospital in Dewas after the jam was cleared. He was declared dead upon arrival, said police sources and reports.

In a separate case, 32-year-old Sandeep Patel developed chest pain and was being transported from Gari Pipalya to Indore. After doctors in Mangalia recommended immediate transfer to a larger facility, the vehicle got stuck in gridlock for three hours near Talavli Chanda and Dewas Naka. Sandeep died of a suspected heart attack during the delay.

The third incident involved cancer patient Balram Patel, 55, from Shujalpur, whose oxygen cylinders depleted while his family tried unsuccessfully to escape the jam. Despite having two cylinders in the vehicle, one ran out in Dewas, and the second failed, while the car stuck for two hours. Balram passed away in the vehicle. Even while returning with his body, the family was caught again in traffic for nearly an hour, reports and police sources said.

Public frustration has mounted. Dewas city district Congress president Manoj Rajani submitted a letter to Indore Collector Ashish Singh demanding the construction of a service road before completing the main bridge and the suspension of toll collection until traffic normalises. A copy was also sent to the Dewas Collector. Divisional Commissioner Deepak Singh and strict Collector Ashish Singh convened a meeting with local officials to review the traffic arrangements.

/IANS