Nalanda, March 31: Tragedy struck Bihar’s Nalanda district on Tuesday morning as at least eight devotees, primarily women, lost their lives in a stampede at the Sheetla Mata temple. Another eight individuals sustained injuries when a massive surge of pilgrims overwhelmed the site, located within the Deep Nagar police station limits.
District authorities confirmed that the crush occurred during a period of heavy footfall at the shrine. In the immediate aftermath, the state government suspended the Station House Officer of the Deep Nagar police station, citing dereliction of professional duty. An official inquiry has been initiated, and investigators are currently reviewing CCTV footage and consulting forensic experts to determine the precise sequence of events.
Nalanda Deputy Development Commissioner Shubham Kumar stated that the high volume of visitors appeared to be the primary factor.
“Eight devotees died, and eight were injured in the incident,” Kumar affirmed during a briefing with media personnel.
Political leaders across the country expressed their condolences and announced financial assistance for the victims. Prime Minister Narendra Modi declared an ex gratia payment of 2 lakh rupees for the families of those deceased and 50,000 rupees for the injured from the PM National Relief Fund.
“The mishap in Nalanda district, Bihar, is deeply painful,” the Prime Minister maintained. “I extend my condolences to those who have lost their loved ones.”
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar also announced a state compensation of 6 lakh rupees for the kin of each deceased devotee. While the Chief Minister’s Office asserted that the injured would receive the best possible medical care, Leader of Opposition Tejashwi Yadav attributed the disaster to a lack of proper planning. Yadav stated that administrative mismanagement was responsible for the fatalities and called for a high-level probe into the safety protocols at the temple.
