NALANDA: Eight women lost their lives and 12 others were injured in a stampede situation at the Sheetala Mata temple in the Maghra area of Bihar Sharif on Tuesday morning. Six of the injured are reported to be in critical condition. The incident occurred on the last Tuesday of the Chaitra month, when a large number of devotees had gathered at the temple in the Deepnagar police station area. With heavy footfall from early morning, chaos erupted after a sudden rumor triggered panic among the crowd. The rush intensified within seconds, causing several people to fall and be trampled amid the surge. The bodies of the eight deceased were brought to Bihar Sharif Sadar Hospital for post-mortem examination, while the injured were admitted to the same hospital for treatment. Among the victims identified so far are Rita Devi of Sakunat locality, Kanti Devi of Deepnagar village, Rekha Devi of Mathurapur village, Revanti Devi of Muzaffara village, Malo Devi of Aarpa village, and Kinta Devi of Bishunpur village.
Grief overwhelms a relative at the hospital as families mourn those lost in the Nalanda temple stampede.
Local residents, along with police and administrative officials, carried out rescue efforts and helped shift the victims.Lalit Kumar, a local, said to news agency ANI, “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 there was no police there.”Another devotee from Patna said to news agency ANI, “We could not even go in. Deaths occurred there, following which we were sent away. A lathi charge also took place.”The Prime Minister’s Office announced an ex gratia of Rs 2 lakh from the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund (PMNRF) for the next of kin of each deceased, while the injured would receive Rs 50,000 each.In an official statement, Bihar CM Nitish Kumar expressed deep sorrow over the loss of lives, calling the incident “extremely tragic” and saying he was deeply saddened. He announced an ex gratia of Rs 6 lakh for the families of each deceased—Rs 4 lakh from the Disaster Management Department and Rs 2 lakh from the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund. He added that senior officials have been rushed to the spot and are overseeing relief and rescue operations, while directing authorities to ensure proper treatment of the injured and wishing them a speedy recovery.Bihar deputy CM Samrat Choudhary said in a post on social media that the incident was “extremely heartbreaking” and expressed condolences to the families of those who died and were injured. He said the government is extending all possible assistance and relief to the affected families, and that arrangements have been made to ensure proper treatment of the injured. He also prayed for peace for the departed souls and strength for the grieving families, while wishing a speedy recovery to those hurt.
Meanwhile, Bihar is set to host a high-profile academic event, with Droupadi Murmu scheduled to arrive in Rajgir on Tuesday. She will attend the second convocation ceremony of Nalanda University as its Visitor and chief guest.
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During her visit, her first to the university as President, Murmu will address the gathering, confer degrees, and award gold medals to meritorious students. The ceremony will see participation from 617 graduating students representing 31 countries, along with dignitaries from India and abroad.In a similar tragedy last November, at least nine people, including eight women and a 13-year-old boy, lost their lives in a crowd surge during Karthika Ekadashi celebrations at the Venkateswara Swamy Temple in Srikakulam district. The situation spiralled out of control as an estimated 25,000 devotees gathered at the shrine, far exceeding its capacity.
