PATNA: At least seven people, including six women were killed and 16 others were injured in a stampede at Baba Siddhanath Temple in Bihar's Jehanabad district on Monday.
The temple, located on Vanavar Hill in the Makhdumpur block, was crowded with devotees on the fourth Monday of the holy Sawan month when a huge rush of devotees inside the temple is generally seen.
The injured were transported to hospitals in Makhdumpur and Jehanabad following the stampede. Jehanabad District Magistrate Alankrita Pandey reported that authorities are closely monitoring the situation and have launched relief and rescue operations. Eyewitnesses suggest the stampede may have been triggered by a dispute involving a flower seller. DM Pandey confirmed the fatalities and injuries, and an investigation is underway to determine the cause of the incident. “The incident is being probed. Officials have been asked to find out the reason behind the incident,” the DM said to TNIE.
Station House Officer Diwakar Kumar Vishwakarma from Makhdumpur police station said that the identities of the deceased were still being ascertained at the time of his statement. The bodies had been sent for autopsy, and senior officials, including the District Magistrate and Superintendent of Police, were on site overseeing the situation.
The deceased were later identified as Pyare Paswan (30), Nisha Devi (30), Punam Devi (30), Nisha Kumari (21), and Sushila Devi (64). The identity of one woman remains unknown, officials said.
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar expressed grief over the incident and instructed that an ex gratia of Rs 4 lakh each be provided to the families of the deceased.
The Chief Minister also directed the district administration to ensure the best possible treatment for the injured.
"The CM has instructed that an ex gratia of Rs 4 lakh each be immediately provided to the next of the kin of the deceased. Kumar has also directed the district administration to provide best possible treatment to the injured," a statement by the Chief Minister's Office said.
The administration will provide Rs 20,000 each to the families of the deceased for last rites, in addition to the Rs 4 lakh ex gratia.
The injured will receive Rs 50,000 each, officials said.
Meanwhile, RJD leaders Lalu Prasad, Rabri Devi and Tejashwi Yadav have expressed grief over the incident, a statement by the party said.
Baba Sidhnath temple, known as the Sidheshwar Nath temple, is located atop one of the highest peaks of the range of the Barabar hills in Jehanabad district. The Bihar stampede comes over a month after a stampede at a 'satsang' (religious congregation) in Uttar Pradesh's Hathras on July 2, killing 121 people, most of them women.
(With inputs from PTI)