8 Dead in Stampede at Bihar's Sheetla Mata Temple

At least eight devotees, mostly women, died and more than a dozen others were injured in a stampede at the Sheetla Mata Temple in Nalanda district, Bihar, on Tuesday morning during a crowded religious gathering. The incident occurred amid thousands of pilgrims who had assembled since dawn for prayers on the final Tuesday of the Chaitra month, a period of heightened religious observance that draws large crowds to the site each week.

Authorities attributed the chaos to severe overcrowding at the temple premises in the Maghra area, under the jurisdiction of Deepnagar police station. Preliminary accounts indicate that a sudden panic, possibly triggered by a rumor or a minor jostle among the throng, led to a surge that trapped and trampled several people during peak prayer hours. Witnesses described a rapid escalation from confusion to a life-threatening crush, with narrow approach roads complicating rescue efforts. Local residents assisted police in extracting victims from the crowd before emergency teams arrived.

Police from Laheri and Deepnagar stations, along with the Sub-Divisional Magistrate of Bihar Sharif, rushed to the scene to manage the situation and clear the area. Shops...