At least eight people are feared dead and 12 others injured after a stampede broke out due to overcrowding around the precincts of the Sheetla Mata temple under Dipnagar police station in Bihar’s Nalanda on Tuesday.
A large number of devotees gathered at Shitala Mata Temple to perform prayers on Tuesday. According to eyewitnesses to the incident, eight women died and more than 12 people were injured.
Devotees usually gather in large numbers at the temple every Tuesday to pray. As it was the last Tuesday of the month of Chaitra, a large crowd went to the temple. Chaos suddenly broke out inside the temple, resulting in a stampede. When people tried to escape, many women were crushed in the powerful rush and lost their lives.
The injured were transferred to Al-Sadr Hospital to receive treatment. The entire temple building was evacuated after the stampede. A large number of police personnel arrived at the scene hours after the incident because the entire police force was directed to protect the president.
After receiving information about the incident, senior officials in the area, including the South Sudan Police Directorate, rushed to the scene. The exact cause of the stampede remains unclear. However, locals claimed that there may not have been adequate police presence or security arrangements at the temple.
Two of the five dead have been identified. Rita Devi (50), wife of Dinesh Rajak, resident of Bihar, and Rekha Devi (45), wife of Kamlesh Prasad, resident of Mathurapur Nursarai. The injured were transferred to the Model Hospital to receive treatment.
Today is the last Tuesday of the month of Chaitra. A large crowd of devotees gathered at the temple. The administration closed the temple and the gallery after the incident.
This temple is located in Megra village, about 5 km from Bihar Sharif (Nalanda). The main worship is on Ashtami (Sheetla Ashtami) in the month of Krishna Paksha in Chaitra. It is a tradition that on the day of Chitta Ashtami, stoves are not lit in homes. Devotees offer cold food (basic) made to the mother the day before. On Ashtami day, there is a huge crowd here, people stand in long queues to offer darshan to mother.
“It is always crowded here on Tuesday. People come for darshan at Sheetla Mata. We also came from Patna for darshan. But there was a stampede and people died. It happened due to mismanagement. An ambulance has arrived here. It is very crowded here. The administration is not here,” says Mamata Devi, a devotee.
What the locals saw
“We learned that some people had lost consciousness and a few others were injured. We also heard about a few deaths. The stampede happened because no one wanted to be in the queue and everyone wanted to have darshan before everyone else. This was the last Tuesday of Chaitra. All because of mismanagement,” says devotee Reena Rai.
“It’s Mahavir Jayanti and it’s Tuesday, so there was a huge crowd there. The barricades were broken, and suddenly there was a stampede. People say people were trampled and there were deaths. People also say there was no police there,” says Lalit Kumar, a local resident.
Bihar Home Minister Samrat Chowdhury said that the tragic stampede incident at the Mata Sheeta temple in Nalanda is very painful. The Deputy Prime Minister said: “I express my condolences to the families of all the devotees who lost their lives and were injured in this incident. The government is providing all possible support and relief to the affected families. Proper treatment has been arranged for the injured.”
