7 Die In Stampede At Bihar Temple

Volunteers did Lathi-Charge…

On Sunday night, seven devotees, including three women, died in a stampede at a temple in Bihar's Jehanabad district after force was used to control the crowd.

At least 35 suffered injuries in the stampede at the Baba Sidheshwar Nath temple which is situated on Baravar hills.

Authorities have denied any negligence on their part.

Diwakar Kumar Vishwakarma, Town Inspector, Jehanabad confirmed seven bodies had arrived at the Jehanabad Post-mortem Hose so far.

The devotees gather at the temple for an event which is held every year during the holy month of Shravan.

Visuals from Jehanabad showed inconsolable families mourning their loss and the injured being treated at the local Makhdumpur and Sadar hospitals.

"People present at the temple said there was a stampede as there were no proper arrangements by the administration. Some NCC (National Cadet Corps) volunteers engaged in crowd management used 'lathis' on the devotees, which led to the stampede," the relative of a victim told reporters.

Death count could increase, locals said.

A devotee present at the temple said the volunteers did lathi-charge after a fight erupted involving a flower-seller.

This led to the stampede, he said, claiming there was no one from the administration.

"This happened due to the negligence of the police administration," he alleged.

Vikash Kumar, sub-divisional officer (SDO), Jehanabad denied that NCC volunteers used lathis to control the situation.