Eight women were killed, and over a dozen more were injured in a crowd crush at a temple in Bihar’s Nalanda on Tuesday.
The crowd surge took place at the Sheetla Mata Temple under the Dipnagar Police station.
A large number of devotees had gathered on Tuesday morning to offer prayers as it was the last Tuesday of the Chaitra month.
Nalanda, Bihar: A stampede broke out during prayers at Madhda Sheetla Temple, leaving several dead and injuring others. The incident occurred in the Deepnagar police station area
— IANS (@ians_india) March 31, 2026
(Visuals from the spot) pic.twitter.com/HaPl6J26XK
Eyewitnesses say chaos broke out among the crowd, which triggered a stampede. As people tried to escape, several women were crushed in the crowd, and some died.
The injured have been taken to Sadar Hospital for treatment. The temple premises have been cleared after the stampede, and police personnel were deployed.
Locals alleged that there was not enough police presence and security arrangements to control the large crowd at the temple.
Two of the deceased are Rita Devi (50), a resident of Bihar and Rekha Devi (45), a resident of Mathurapur Noorsarai.
The temple is located 5 kilometres away from Bihar Sharif or Nalanda.
Mamata Devi, a devotee, said, "It is always crowded here on Tuesday. People come for Sheetla Mata's darshan. We too have come from Patna for darshan. But a stampede broke out, and people died. It happened due to mismanagement. An ambulance has reached here. It is so crowded here. Administration is not here,” The Hindustan Times reported
Bihar home minister Samraat Choudhary said that the tragic incident of a stampede at the Mata Sheeta temple in Nalanda is extremely painful. "I express my condolences to the families of all the devotees who lost their lives and were injured in this accident. All possible support and relief are being provided by the government to the affected families. Proper treatment of the injured has been arranged," the deputy CM said.
