The devotees had gathered at the temple for a consecration event held every year.
A day after a stampede at a temple in Bihar's Jehanabad killed seven people, including five women and two children, a video has emerged showing the chaotic moments leading up to the tragedy. The stampede occurred on Monday at around 1 a.m. at the Baba Sidheshwar Nath temple, leaving 35 injured.
The footage shows several devotees crowded around the temple, which is situated roughly 2 kilometers from the mountain's base. In the one-minute clip, the crowd is seen struggling to navigate the congested, narrow lane leading to the temple, with people screaming. The situation quickly worsens, with people seen running in panic, trying to escape, it shows.
The devotees had gathered at the temple for a consecration event held every year. Around 60,000 devotees had gathered at the temple to offer water on the Shivling of Lord Shiva on the fourth Monday of the Sawan month.
A devotee present at the temple said the volunteers resorted to lathi-charge after a fight erupted involving a flower-seller which led to the stampede. However, police denied that NCC volunteers resorted to lathi-charge to control the crowd.
"The stampede took place after a quarrel erupted between devotees waiting in line and flower sellers outside the temple. The quarrel quickly led to panic and chaos, resulting in the stampede that claimed seven lives," the police investigation reveals.
"The challenging geographical location of the Baba Sidheswar Nath temple, situated on a mountain with a narrow approach road also contributed to the sudden and tragic stampede," the police said.
"We are working to identify the flower sellers involved in the quarrel that triggered the stampede. A joint investigative team, led by SDO and SDPO rank officers, has been formed to probe the incident," Jehanabad District Magistrate, Alankrita Pandey told news agency IANS.
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has announced a compensation of ₹ 4 lakh each to the families of those dead and ₹ 50,000 to those injured. Tejashwi Yadav, the Leader of the Opposition, also expressed his condolences over the incident.