Nalanda (Bihar) [India], March 31 (HBTV): At least six people were killed and over a dozen injured in a stampede during prayers at the Sheetla Mata Temple in Maghda village of Bihar’s Nalanda district on Tuesday.
Several of the injured are reported to be in critical condition. According to authorities, the stampede occurred due to excessive overcrowding at the site, where a weekly fair is held every Tuesday.
The temple falls under the jurisdiction of the Deepnagar police station. Officials from Laheri and Deepnagar police stations, along with the Sub-Divisional Magistrate of Bihar Sharif, rushed to the spot to assess the situation.
In view of the incident, shops set up at the fair in the surrounding area have been ordered to shut down.
A chaotic situation continued in the area following the incident, with people seen running to safety as police attempted to bring the crowd under control. Devotees present at the scene alleged that inadequate police deployment contributed to the situation.
'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,' said Lalit Kumar, a local.
Reena Roy, a devotee, said, 'There is a designated queue here, but no one wanted to wait in line, which is why a stampede broke out. This fair is held every Tuesday. This incident highlights a failure on the part of the administration.'
Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary described the incident as 'extremely heartbreaking' and expressed condolences to the families of those who died and were injured in a post on social media.
Meanwhile, President Droupadi Murmu is scheduled to arrive in Rajgir later in the day to attend the second convocation ceremony of Nalanda University as its Visitor and chief guest. (ANI)