At least six people were killed and more than a dozen were injured in a stampede during prayers at Shitala Mata temple located in Magadha village of Nalanda district of Bihar. The condition of many injured is said to be serious. Meanwhile, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has also announced ex-gratia amount.
According to a press release, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Tuesday expressed grief over the stampede at Nalanda Shitala Mata temple and announced an assistance of Rs 4 lakh from the Disaster Management Department and Rs 2 lakh from the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund (total Rs 6 lakh per person) for the next of kin of the deceased.
The release said, “Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has expressed his deep condolences on the death of the devotees killed in the stampede at the Shitala Devi temple in Bihar Sharif, Nalanda district. The Chief Minister said that this incident is extremely tragic and he is deeply saddened by it. The Chief Minister has directed that the dependents of the deceased should be provided an ex-gratia of Rs 4 lakh from the Disaster Management Department and Rs 2 lakh (total Rs 6 lakh) from the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund.”
It further said, “Acting on the instructions of the Chief Minister, senior officials have reached the accident site and are actively engaged in relief and rescue operations. The Chief Minister has wished speedy recovery of those injured in the accident and has directed to provide them proper medical treatment.”
This morning, Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Chaudhary expressed his deep condolences to the families of the victims who lost their lives due to the stampede at Shitala Mata Temple in Nalanda and assured them of government assistance.
He wrote, “The tragic incident of stampede at Mata Shitala temple of Nalanda is extremely heart-wrenching. I express my deepest condolences to the families of all the devotees who lost their lives and were injured in this accident. The government is providing all possible help and relief to the affected families. Arrangements have been made for proper treatment of the injured. May God rest the departed souls and give strength to the bereaved families in this hour of grief. I pray for the speedy recovery of the injured.”
It is noteworthy that like every Tuesday, even today a fair was organized in Magadha temple. According to officials, the stampede occurred due to overcrowding. Let us tell you that this temple comes under the jurisdiction of Deep Nagar police station area.
Officials from Laheri and Deep Nagar police stations, along with the Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) of Bihar Sharif, rushed to the spot to take stock of the situation. Considering the seriousness of the situation, orders have been given to close the shops in the area around the fair.
Apart from this, after this incident, there is a chaotic situation like stampede in the area. People are seen running wildly to save their lives, although the police is trying its best to control the crowd. Devotees present at the spot say that this incident happened due to inadequate deployment of police personnel.
Local resident Lalit Kumar told ANI, “Today is Mahavir Jayanti and Tuesday, so there was a huge crowd there. The barricades were broken and suddenly a stampede broke out. People are saying that the police were not present there.”
Reena Roy, a devotee, said, “There is a fixed arrangement for the queue, but no one wanted to wait in the queue, which led to a stampede. This fair is held every Tuesday. This incident highlights the failure of the administration.”
Meanwhile, President Draupadi Murmu will reach Rajgir in Bihar today. She will attend the second convocation of Nalanda University as guest and chief guest.
