Former MLA Lahling Devda's Tragic Death: Hundreds Mourn as MP CM Yadav Pays Tribute

CM Yadav wrote on X: “The news of the passing of Shri Lahling Devda, former MLA of the Sailana Assembly constituency, is deeply saddening. We pray to God to grant the departed soul a place in His feet and give the bereaved family the strength to bear this loss.”

The 70-year-old former Congress legislator breathed his last at a Vadodara (Gujarat) hospital on Friday evening after a four-day battle for life.

His body was brought back to Chawani Bhabhar -- his village, late Friday. His last rites were held on Saturday morning at the village crematorium, drawing hundreds of mourners from across the tribal belt.

The veteran politician from Sailana constituency in Ratlam district was critically injured when a speeding motorcycle struck him from behind while he strolled along the roadside near his home in Chawani Bhabhar (Bajna) village on November 5.

Eyewitnesses recounted the horrifying moment around 7 p.m. on Friday. They said Devda, clad in his trademark white kurta-pajama, was knocked several feet forward, his head slamming against the uneven pavement. Severe trauma to his skull, face, and torso left him unconscious amid pooling blood.

"He was just taking his evening walk when the bike came out of nowhere -- no lights, no slowing down," said neighbor Ramesh Gamad, who helped lift the bleeding leader.

Family members rushed him to Bajna Government Hospital, where doctors stabilised him before referring him to Ratlam District Hospital. As internal bleeding worsened, he was shifted to a private facility in Ratlam and finally airlifted to Vadodara's premier trauma centre.

Despite aggressive intervention -- including surgery for cranial fractures -- Devda succumbed at 6.45 p.m.

Bajna police, acting on a complaint by Devda’s nephew Laxman, registered an FIR under various sections. The abandoned motorcycle was seized 200 meters from the site.

“Both riders, believed to be in their early 20s, fell but fled the scene,” said police officials.

CCTV footage from a gram panchayat office and a local shop is being analysed to identify the duo, with sketches expected by Saturday evening.

Devda was elected MLA in 1993 on a Congress ticket; he trounced Janata Dal’s Bherusingh Damor by 12,000 votes, championing irrigation projects and ST reservations.

A brief BJP stint in the late 1990s preceded his return to Congress, where he mentored young Adivasi leaders until retirement.

He lived simply, ate with villagers, never forgot a name,” recalled a fellow Congressman, underscoring Devda’s reputation as the “people’s Lahling bhai.”

As tributes pour in -- Congress state chief Jitu Patwari called him “Sailana’s heartbeat.”

- IANS