PATNA: At least seven people, including five women, died, and nine others were injured in a stampede while heading to the Baba Siddheshwarnath Temple on Barabar hills in Jehanabad, Bihar, late Sunday night.
The stampede happened around 12:30 a.m. as the devotees were climbing the hills to offer prayers at the temple in the Makhdumpur area of Jehanabad.
Some local residents attributed the incident to poor crowd management and the police's use of batons. They mentioned that common routes were used by people both visiting and returning from the temple.
As the number of devotees grew in anticipation of the fourth Monday of the Saawan month, the police struggled to manage the crowd and resorted to a baton charge, which, according to Suman Kumar, a relative of one of the injured devotees, might have led to the stampede.
Jehanabad District Magistrate Alankrita Pandey confirmed that seven people had died and stated that they were investigating the cause of the incident. She added that the injured were being treated at the Jehanabad hospital.
Meanwhile, Manoj, an eyewitness to the stampede, mentioned that a brawl occurred before the incident. He said that if the administration had been more effective, the flower seller wouldn’t have started the fight.
He described how the brawl unfolded right in front of them, trapping many people, and how someone pulled him out just in time. Manoj added that had he been stuck for a minute or two longer, he might have died.
He attributed the incident to a stampede and noted that the police were not present at the scene, as they were stationed along the route. He also mentioned that he had sustained injuries.
The incident happened just a few weeks after more than 120 people died at a religious gathering in Hathras, Uttar Pradesh. The gathering was dedicated to Baba Narayan Hari, or 'Bhole Baba.'
According to the administration, the organizers had permission for a crowd of 80,000 people, but far more devotees showed up, which led to the stampede.
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