Bihar: 7 dead, 9 injured in stampede at temple in Jehanabad

At least seven people died and nine were injured in a stampede at Baba Siddhnath Temple in Makhdumpur of Jehanabad district.

Alankrita Pandey, the district magistrate of Jehanabad, said on Monday morning that the situation is under control.

“At least seven people died and nine were injured in a stampede at Baba Siddhnath Temple in Makhdumpur of Jehanabad district. We are monitoring everything and now the situation is under control, ” she told ANI.

The incident occurred at the Vanavar hill of Makhdumpur block. Those injured were rushed to hospitals in Makhdumpur and Jehanabad.

Since it was the fourth Monday of the holy Sawan month, there was a huge rush inside the temple.

Speaking to ANI, Divakar Kumar Vishwakarma, SHO Jehanabad said, “DM and SP visited the spot and they are taking stock of the situation…A total of seven people have died…We are meeting and inquiring about the family members (of the people dead and injured)…We are trying to identify the people (who have died), after this we will send the bodies for post-mortem.”

Meanwhile, Manoj, an eyewitness to the stampede, said there was a brawl before the incident.

“Had the administration worked well, the flower seller would not have picked a fight. There was a brawl. It happened right before us. So many of us were trapped there, someone pulled me out of there. Had I been stuck there for a minute or two more, I would have died. The incident happened due to a stampede. The Police were nowhere to be seen at the spot, they were deployed along the route…I have suffered injuries too,” he said.

The incident took place barely weeks after over 120 people died in a religious congregation at Uttar Pradesh’s Hathras. The incident took place at the gathering dedicated to Baba Narayan Hari or ‘Bhole Baba.’ Per the administration, the organizers had secured the permission of a gathering of 80,000 but a lot more devotees turned up, leading to the stampede.

Where is Baba Siddhnath Temple?

Baba Siddhnath Temple, also known as the Shiva Temple and originally known as Siddheshwar Nath Temple, is located atop one of the highest peaks in the range of the Barabar Hills.

The temple was built during the Gupta period in the 7th Century A.D. The local legends attribute the construction of the temple to Bana Raja, the father-in-law of the legendary king Jarasandha of Rajgir.