Seven killed in temple stampede in Bihar’s Jehanabad

Jehanabad, Aug 12: Seven devotees, including three women, lost their lives in a stampede at the Baba Sidheshwar Nath temple in Bihar's Jehanabad district last night, reportedly after force was used to control the crowd. The tragedy also left at least 35 others injured at the temple located on Baravar hills.

Authorities, however, have denied any negligence on their part.

Diwakar Kumar Vishwakarma, Town Inspector of Jehanabad, confirmed that seven bodies had been brought to the Jehanabad Post-mortem House.

The devotees had gathered at the temple for a consecration event held annually during the holy month of Shravan. Visuals from Jehanabad revealed scenes of inconsolable families mourning their loss, while the injured were being treated at the local Makhdumpur and Sadar hospitals.

"Those present at the temple said the stampede occurred due to a lack of proper arrangements by the administration. Some NCC (National Cadet Corps) volunteers engaged in crowd management used 'lathis' on the devotees, which triggered the stampede," a relative of one of the victims told reporters.

Locals fear that the death toll could rise.

A devotee who was at the temple alleged that the volunteers resorted to lathi-charge after a fight erupted involving a flower seller, leading to the stampede. He claimed there was no one from the administration present at the scene.

"This happened due to the negligence of the police administration," he alleged.

However, Vikash Kumar, Sub-Divisional Officer (SDO) of Jehanabad, refuted claims that NCC volunteers used lathis to control the crowd.

"Nothing of that sort happened. This was an unfortunate incident. There was strict vigilance in place. Adequate arrangements, including force (NCC), civil deputations, and medical teams, were made. We will provide more details after the post-mortem," said Mr Kumar.