Eight women killed in stampede at Sheetla Temple in Bihar’s Nalanda

At least eight women were killed, and several others were injured on Tuesday during a religious gathering at the Sheetla Temple in Bihar’s Nalanda district. The incident occurred when a large number of devotees gathered at the temple for worship, leading to severe overcrowding and a stampede-like situation, during which several people were crushed.

On receiving information about the tragedy, police officials, along with local villagers, rushed to the spot and launched relief and rescue operations. Visuals from the scene showed scores of people gathered at the temple premises. As this was the last Tuesday of the month of Chaitra, a massive crowd of devotees had converged at the temple.

Crowd surge and chaos

According to a report in the Hindustan Times, devotees gather in large numbers at the temple every Tuesday to offer prayers. Being the last Tuesday of the Chaitra month, an unusually heavy crowd had assembled at the premises. Chaos reportedly broke out inside the temple, leading to a stampede. In the rush to get out, several women were crushed in the crowd and lost their lives.

Those injured were taken to Sadar Hospital for treatment. The temple premises were cleared after the incident. Police personnel reached the spot hours later as a large section of the force had been deployed elsewhere for the President’s security arrangements, reported the Hindustan Times.

Response and preliminary findings

Senior district officials, including the SDPO, arrived at the site after receiving information. The exact reason behind the stampede remains unclear. Locals alleged there may have been insufficient police presence and a lack of proper arrangements at the temple.

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Two of the five deceased have been identified so far. They are Rita Devi (50), wife of Dinesh Rajak, and Rekha Devi (45), wife of Kamlesh Prasad, a resident of Mathurapur Noorsarai. The injured have been shifted to Model Hospital for further treatment.

Ritual context and aftermath

Tuesday marked the last of the Chaitra month, drawing a significant turnout of devotees. Following the incident, the administration shut down both the temple and the associated fair.

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The temple is situated in Maghra village, around five kilometres from Bihar Sharif in Nalanda district. It holds particular significance on Ashtami, also known as Shitla Ashtami, during the Krishna Paksha of the Chaitra month. As per tradition, households do not light stoves on this day, and devotees offer food prepared a day earlier to the deity. Long queues are usually seen as people wait for darshan.

Eyewitness accounts and official response

"It is always crowded here on Tuesday. People come for Sheetla Mata's darshan. We too have come from Patna for darshan. But a stampede broke out, and people died. It happened due to mismanagement. An ambulance has reached here. It is so crowded here. Administration is not here,” said Mamata Devi, a devotee

Another devotee Reena Rai said, "We came to know that a few people have fallen unconscious and a few others are injured. We also heard of a few deaths. The stampede occurred because nobody wanted to be in the queue, and everybody wanted to have the darshan before everyone else. This was the last Tuesday of Chaitra. It is all due to mismanagement."

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Lalit Kumar, a resident, said, "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 people were trampled on and deaths occurred. People are also saying that there was no Police there."

Bihar Home Minister Samraat Choudhary termed the incident tragic and expressed grief over the loss of lives. "I express my condolences to the families of all the devotees who lost their lives and were injured in this accident. All possible support and relief is being provided by the government to the affected families. Proper treatment of the injured has been arranged," said the deputy chief minister, in a post on X.