Incident at Baba Siddhanath Temple in Bihar's Jehanabad resulted in deaths of at least seven people, leaves more than 35 injured
Date
8/13/2024 8:28:01 AM
(MENAFN) A devastating incident at the Baba Siddhanath Temple in Bihar's Jehanabad district has resulted in the deaths of at least seven people and left more than 35 injured. The tragedy unfolded around 12:30 a.m. on Monday when a confrontation erupted between devotees and flower sellers at the Hindu temple dedicated to Shiva, situated on a hilltop.
The altercation, which took place during the holy month of Shravan, led to a chaotic stampede as devotees, who had gathered for early morning prayers, were caught in the crush. The injured have been taken to a local government hospital for treatment.
Relatives of the deceased have criticized the temple’s crowd management, suggesting that the lack of adequate control contributed to the disaster. There were reports that volunteers from the National Cadet Corps used batons on the crowd, which may have exacerbated the situation. However, Vikas Kumar, the subdivisional officer of the district, refuted these claims, stating that appropriate force and civil medical teams were deployed and that an investigation is underway.
District magistrate Alankrita Pandey assured that the situation was eventually brought under control. In response to the tragedy, the administration has announced compensation of 400,000 rupees (approximately $4,760) for the families of those who lost their lives.
This incident comes on the heels of another disaster just a month ago in neighboring Uttar Pradesh, where a similar stampede at a religious gathering in Hathras claimed the lives of at least 116 people and injured over 100. The crush in Hathras occurred at a narrow exit as devotees attempted to leave after a sermon by preacher Narayan Sakar Hari, known as Bhole Baba.
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