Nalanda

At least six people were killed and more than a dozen injured in a stampede at the Sheetla Mata Temple in Maghda village of Nalanda on Tuesday, officials said.

The incident occurred during prayers at the temple, where a weekly fair is held every Tuesday. Authorities said the stampede was triggered by excessive overcrowding at the site, with several of the injured reported to be in critical condition.

The temple falls under the jurisdiction of the Deepnagar police station. Officials from Deepnagar and Laheri police stations, along with the Sub-Divisional Magistrate of Bihar Sharif, rushed to the spot to manage the situation.

In the aftermath of the incident, authorities ordered the closure of shops set up around the fair as a precautionary measure.

Eyewitnesses described scenes of panic, with people running in different directions in an attempt to escape. Police teams are currently working to bring the situation under control.

Local residents and devotees alleged lapses in crowd management. A resident, Lalit Kumar, said the large turnout—due to it being Mahavir Jayanti and a Tuesday—led to overcrowding, and claimed that barricades broke, triggering the stampede.

Another devotee, Reena Roy, said that although a queue system existed, many people did not follow it, resulting in chaos. She also alleged inadequate administrative arrangements at the site.

Reacting to the incident, Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary termed it “extremely heartbreaking” and expressed condolences to the families of the deceased and injured.

Meanwhile, President Droupadi Murmu is scheduled to visit Rajgir later in the day to attend the second convocation ceremony of Nalanda University.

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Further details are awaited as authorities continue rescue and relief operations.