A stampede during a prayer at the Maa Sheetla Mandir in Maghra village of Bihar’s Nalanda claimed several lives. As per sources at the scene, at least eight people were killed in the stampede. Several people have been injured. Officials have reached the scene.
Devotees who were rescued blamed the administration for failure to control the crowd. Witnesses said overcrowding at the temple premises led to a chaotic situation, eventually triggering a stampede as security arrangements were not adequate in proportion to the turnout.
Mamata Devi, a devotee, told news agency ANI, “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 by the administration… An ambulance has come here. It is so crowded here. Administration officials were not here.”
Another devotee, whose mother was trampled by the crowd, said the crowd was swelling and it was not stopped. “They [temple] administration should have stopped the crowd when they saw the crowd swelling. They did not. I kept calling my mother but the crowd swept her into the temple,” she told news agency PTI.
VIDEO | Bihar: Several feared dead, dozens injured in stampede at Maa Sheetala Temple. More details are awaited. #NalandaNews#BiharNews#Stampede
Bihar Sharif Assistant Superintendent of Police Noorul Haque said, “At least eight women died in the stampede at Shitala Mata temple on Tuesday morning. Police personnel and officials of the district administration have reached the spot, and the rescue work is on.”
How did the Nalanda temple stampede start?
Preliminary inputs from sources indicated that casualties included women devotees. Several others sustained injuries in the incident and were taken to nearby hospital for treatment. However, officials have not yet released confirmed figures.
A source claimed that as the crowd swelled, the barricades came under pressure. With no effective crowd management measure in place, the barricades gave way under pressure. This led to panic and people pushed one another and fell on top of each other.
However, the crowd did not stop and stepped on the ones who fell.
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Police and senior administrative officials, including the Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM), reached the site shortly after being alerted. Ambulances were deployed to evacuate the injured, and the temple premises was cleared.
CM announces compensation
Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has expressed deep sorrow over the deaths of devotees in a stampede. Describing the incident as “extremely tragic”, the Chief Minister said he was deeply distressed by the loss of lives.
He has directed that the next of kin of each deceased be provided an ex gratia compensation of Rs 6 lakh, Rs 4 lakh from the Disaster Management Department and Rs 2 lakh from the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund.
Following the Chief Minister’s instructions, senior officials have reached the site and are actively engaged in relief and rescue operations.
#WATCH | Nalanda Maa Sheetla Mandir stampede | Patna: Bihar Minister Vijay Kumar Choudhary says, “…Eight people are reported to have died in the stampede at the temple fair. This is a heart-rending incident. CM has taken cognisance of the incident. He has directed the officers… pic.twitter.com/TNP79Ae7Ak
Himanshu Harsh is a Correspondent with The Indian Express, currently leading on-the-ground coverage in Bihar. With a reporting career rooted in the complexities of the National Capital Region (NCR), Himanshu specializes in the critical intersection of law, crime, and civic governance.
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An alumnus of the prestigious Indian Institute of Mass Communication (IIMC), Delhi, Himanshu brings a rigorous academic foundation to his investigative work. His expertise is characterized by a "ground-up" reporting style, most notably demonstrated during his extensive coverage of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, where he analyzed shifting political landscapes and grassroots sentiment.
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