A stampede was reported at Baba Siddhanth Temple in Bihar's Jehanabad district on Sunday night, killing at least seven people, mostly women. Sixteen others were injured in the incident at the temple in the Makhdumpur area, an official said on Monday.
The deceased have been 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, an official said. The injured were taken to medical facilities in Mukundapur and nearby areas, with 10 discharged after first aid while six remain under treatment.
A dispute broke out between kanwariyas around 11.30 pm which soon escalated into a scuffle. The stampede was caused due to this altercation, District Magistrate Alankrita Pandey told PTI.
Meanwhile, some media reports claimed that volunteers at the Baba Siddhanth Temple used force to disperse the fighting groups, which led to the tragedy. After the fight was initiated by some kanwariyas and a flower seller at the temple, volunteers resorted to lathi-charge instead of trying to end the dispute amicably, local media reports said.
"There was a brawl. It happened right before us. So many of us were trapped there, someone pulled me out of there. Had I been stuck there for a minute or two more, I would have died. The incident happened due to a stampede. The Police were nowhere to be seen at the spot, they were deployed along the route...I have suffered injuries too," an eyewitness told news agency ANI on Monday morning.
The temple was brimming with devotees as it was the third Monday of Sawan. The railing broke amidst the long queue of people waiting to make their offering, local reports said.
"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 bodies of the victims will be handed over to the families after post-mortem. "A total of seven people have died...We are meeting and inquiring about the family members (of the people dead and injured)...We are trying to identify the people (who have died), after this we will send the bodies for post-mortem," Jehanabad SHO Divakar Kumar Vishwakarma told the press. He added that the Deputy Magistrate and the Superintendent of Police reached the spot.