As many as eight devotees, most of them women, were killed in a stampede at a temple in Nalanda district of Bihar on Tuesday morning, with several others injured.
The incident took place at the Sheetla Temple in Maghra, under the Deepnagar police station area. Officials fear the death toll may rise as some of the injured are in critical condition.
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar announced Rs 4 lakhs each from Disaster Management Department and Rs 2 lakhs each from CM relief fund (a total of Rs 6 Lakhs each) for the next of kin of deceased.
Preliminary reports suggest the stampede was triggered by overcrowding and inadequate arrangements at the temple. However, authorities have not yet confirmed the exact cause or the official number of fatalities.
Rescue and relief operations were launched soon after the incident, with ambulances rushing to the spot and local officials, including the SDM, reaching the site.
Heavy Rush In Temple On Tuesdays
The temple witnesses a large influx of devotees every Tuesday. On the day of the incident, thousands had gathered to offer prayers, but security and crowd management arrangements appeared insufficient.
A sudden surge in the crowd reportedly led to the stampede, though the exact sequence of events remains unclear.
The injured were taken to Sadar Hospital for treatment. Following the incident, the temple premises were evacuated, and a heavy police presence was deployed to manage the situation and maintain order.
Questions Over Security Arrangements
The incident comes on the same day as the convocation ceremony of Nalanda University in Rajgir, which is expected to be attended by President Droupadi Murmu, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Chaudhary.
The timing has raised questions over whether security resources were stretched or diverted due to the high-profile event, potentially impacting arrangements at the temple.
What Eyewitnesses Say
Eyewitnesses alleged that overcrowding and inadequate arrangements led to the stampede at the Sheetla Temple in Bihar’s Bihar on Tuesday. They claimed that there was a huge crowd at the temple due to which the barricades broke, and led to a stampede.
“It is Mahavir Jayanti and Tuesday today, so there was a huge crowd there. The barricades broke, and suddenly a stampede occurred. People are saying that people were trampled on and deaths occurred...People are also saying that there was no Police there,” Lalit Kumar, a local, said.
"It is always crowded here on Tuesday. People come for Sheetla Mata's darshan. We too have come from Patna for darshan. But a stampede broke out, and people died. It happened due to mismanagement...An ambulance has reached here. It is so crowded here. Administration is not here," another local, Mamata Devi, told ANI.
Some locals alleged that there was no police at the temple. Their account suggests that the situation escalated as devotees attempted to bypass queues, leading to a sudden surge and panic within the temple premises.
(With inputs from Amritesh Kumar)