A stampede at the Sheetla Mata Temple in Nalanda district of Bihar on Tuesday killed at least eight people and injured 12 others. The incident occurred at the temple in Maghra village, roughly 5 km from Bihar Sharif, under the Deepnagar police station limits.
Tuesday was Mahavir Jayanti and also the last Tuesday of the Chaitra month, a day that draws especially large crowds to the temple. Devotees traditionally visit on Tuesdays to seek blessings from Sheetla Mata. As per the report of Hindustan Times, the unusually high turnout led to severe overcrowding, which triggered the stampede.
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All the eight people who lost their lives were women. Two victims were identified as Rita Devi (50), wife of Dinesh Rajak, and Rekha Devi (45), wife of Kamlesh Prasad of Mathurapur Noorsarai.
Rescue and medical response
According to the reports of the Hindustan Times, the injured were first taken to a local hospital before being moved to a larger facility. Authorities later cleared the temple premises and shut down the associated fair. Police said their deployment was partially diverted for the President's security, which delayed their arrival. Senior district officials, including the SDPO, reached the site after being informed.
Government response
The reports of the Hindustan Times further stated, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar announced a compensation of Rs 6 lakh for each victim's family. Chief Secretary Pratyaya Amrit ordered a formal probe and directed the Patna Divisional Commissioner and the Range Inspector General to investigate and submit a report.
Home Minister Samrat Choudhary said the incident was "extremely painful" and added, "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," as stated by the reports of Hindustan Times.
Eyewitness accounts
Locals and devotees blamed poor crowd management. According to the report of Hindustan Times, Devotee Mamata Devi 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 arrived but the administration had not shown up."
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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. The stampede occurred because nobody wanted to be in the queue and everybody wanted to have the darshan before everyone else. This was the last Tuesday of Chaitra. It is all due to mismanagement."
Local resident Lalit Kumar 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."
