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Stampede breaks out at Sheetla Temple in Bihar's Nalanda; 8 feared dead
A large number of devotees had gathered at the temple to offer prayers, as Tuesdays traditionally draw heavy crowds
At least eight people were killed and 12 others sustained injuries following a stampede triggered by overcrowding at the Sheetla Mata Temple in Bihar's Nalanda on Tuesday.
A large number of devotees had gathered at the temple to offer prayers, as Tuesdays traditionally draw heavy crowds. The incident spiralled when the devotees were trying to escape the stampede.
Two of the deceased have been identified as Rita Devi (50), wife of Dinesh Rajak, and Rekha Devi (45), wife of Kamlesh Prasad, a resident of Mathurapur Noorsarai.
The injured were rushed to a local hospital and later shifted to a bigger facility. The temple premises have since been cleared, and authorities have shut the premises and the associated fair following the incident.
Probe ordered
Bihar chief secretary Pratyaya Amrit has ordered a probe into the incident, and asked the Patna divisional commissioner and the range inspector general to file a report.
Chief minister Nitish Kumar has announced ₹6 lakh compensation each to the family of victims.
Senior district officials, including the SDPO, reached the site to take stock of the situation. The exact cause of the stampede is yet to be ascertained.
Mamata Devi, a devotee, 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”.
Another devotee, Reena Rai, said, “We came to know that a few people fell unconscious and a few others were injured. We also heard of a few deaths".
Lalit Kumar, a local resident, said, “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.”
Bihar home minister Samrat Choudhary described the incident as extremely painful and expressed condolences.
“I express my condolences to the families of all the devotees who lost their lives and were injured in this accident. All possible support and relief is being provided by the government to the affected families. Proper treatment of the injured has been arranged,” Choudhary said.
