Bihar Temple Tragedy: 7 Dead After Alleged Volunteer Lathi-Charge Sparks Stampede

Bihar temple was crowded with devotees for the annual consecration ceremony held during the holy month of Shravan.

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Bihar Temple Stampede Claims 7 Lives Amid Crowd Control

Seven devotees, including three women, were killed in a stampede at a temple in Bihar’s Jehanabad district last night, reportedly after force was used to manage the crowd. At least 35 others were injured in the chaos at the Baba Sidheshwar Nath temple on Baravar Hills. Authorities have, however, denied any negligence. Diwakar Kumar Vishwakarma, Town Inspector of Jehanabad, confirmed that seven bodies had been brought to the Jehanabad Post-Mortem House.

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Families Mourn, Injured Treated in Jehanabad

The devotees had gathered at the temple for a consecration event held every year during the holy month of Shravan. Visuals from Jehanabad showed inconsolable families mourning their loss and the injured being treated at the local Makhdumpur and Sadar hospitals. “Those present at the temple said there was a stampede due to lack of arrangements by the administration. Some NCC (National Cadet Corps) volunteers engaged in crowd management used ‘lathis’ on the devotees, which led to the stampede,” the relative of a victim told reporters.

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SDO Vikash Kumar Clarifies on Jehanabad Temple Stampede

A devotee present at the temple said the volunteers resorted to lathi-charge after a fight erupted involving a flower-seller. This led to the stampede, he said, claiming there was no one from the administration. “This happened due to the negligence of the police administration,” he alleged. Vikash Kumar, sub-divisional officer (SDO), Jehanabad denied that NCC volunteers used lathis to control the crowd. “Nothing like that happened. This was an unfortunate incident. There was strict vigil. Adequate arrangements including force (NCC), civil deputations and medical teams were made. We will give more details after the post-mortem,” said Mr Kumar.