‘A large crowd entered the queue’: Witness recounts chaos during Bihar temple stampede

At 6:40 am, Manmala Devi and her daughter had been waiting in a lengthy queue at the Ashok Dham temple for more than an hour before the stampede unfolded. The temple-goer, accustomed to visiting the temple on the first and second Mondays of the current Hindu month of Sawan, explained that a large number of other devotees had exited the train and joined the queue, intensifying the pressure. This prompted the tragic stampede to commence, she revealed.

A 44-year-old woman from Barahiya, approximately 12 km away, succumbed to her injuries resulting from the crush, while her 21-year-old daughter sustained minor injuries. Among the seven people who lost their lives in the stampede near Ashok Dham Halt in Bihar’s Lakhisarai district on Monday morning, all were women, according to officials.

The victims included Manmala Devi, Rinku Devi, Hemlata Devi, Lalita Devi, Savita Devi, Savitri Devi, and another unidentified woman. The incident was sparked by a rumor that an electricity pole had fallen and live current was spreading near the railway halt, situated roughly a kilometre from the temple. However, officials clarified that the pole had fallen in a field and was actually carrying a covered cable, not an exposed wire.

In the immediate aftermath of the incident, reports indicated that a rumor concerning the fallen electricity pole had been circulating, prompting panic among the crowd. As some individuals attempted to move towards the field to escape the situation, they unfortunately fell and were trampled upon by others following behind. Lakhisarai Sub-Divisional Police Officer Shivam Kumar informed The Indian Express that this initial announcement of the fallen electricity pole had triggered the panic, resulting in the cascade of events leading to the stampede.

Although the train does not typically stop at this location, the halting of trains in the month of Sawan is specifically designated for temple devotees. The temple gates opened at 2:55 am, and the initially manageable crowd swelled rapidly when the rumor began circulating. Upon hearing the news, some individuals attempted to flee into the field, leading to the tragic cascade of events that ensued.

The spread of the false report led to the breaking of barriers, exacerbating the chaos. Among the deceased were Manmala Devi, Rinku Devi, Hemlata Devi, Lalita Devi, Savita Devi, Savitri Devi, and an unidentified woman. Three women are currently receiving critical care at Patna Medical College and Hospital, while arrangements for their treatment have been made.

Relatives of the deceased have questioned the temple's crowd management arrangements, expressing concerns that the administration should have adequately prepared for the large influx of visitors during the third Monday of Sawan.

The district administration has allocated Rs 4 lakh in ex-gratia compensation to each family of the deceased and is providing medical support to the injured. A three-member inquiry committee has been established to investigate the incident. Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary and former Chief Minister Nitish Kumar conveyed their grief over the unfortunate event through social media posts.

Chief Minister Samrat described the incident as "extremely sad and heart-rending" and expressed his deep distress over the reports of devotees losing their lives. Additionally, the Leader of the Opposition in the Bihar Assembly and national working president of the RJD, Tejashwi Yadav, blamed the incident on inadequate security and crowd management, alleging administrative mismanagement on the part of the NDA government.