In the aftermath of the tragic stampede at the Baba Siddhanath Temple in Bihar’s Jehanabad district that claimed the lives of seven people, an eyewitness came forward to recount the harrowing events that unfolded just minutes before the chaos erupted. Manoj, who was present at the temple, vividly described the moments leading up to the disaster, shedding light on the factors that contributed to the incident.
According to Manoj, the stampede was triggered by an altercation involving a flower seller. The dispute quickly escalated into a brawl, setting off a chain reaction of panic among the devotees gathered at the temple. “Had the administration worked well, the flower seller would not have picked a fight. There was a brawl. It happened right before us. So many of us were trapped there… someone pulled me out of there,” Manoj told the media, still visibly shaken from the ordeal.
Manoj, who sustained minor injuries during the incident, recounted the narrow escape that saved his life. “Had I been stuck at the temple for another minute or two, I would have died,” he said, emphasizing the chaotic and dangerous nature of the situation. The eyewitness further criticized the lack of police presence at the temple, noting that officers were deployed along the route but were nowhere to be seen at the critical moment when the stampede occurred.
The tragic incident took place in the early hours of Monday at the Vanavar hill of the Makhdumpur block area, where a large crowd had gathered for prayers at the Baba Siddhanath Temple. The sudden surge of people during the brawl led to a deadly stampede, resulting in the deaths of seven individuals and leaving nine others injured.
Emergency responders quickly rushed the injured to nearby hospitals in Makhdumpur and Jehanabad, where they are currently receiving treatment. In response to the tragedy, Jehanabad District Magistrate Alankrita Pandey assured the public that the situation is now under control. “DM and SP visited the spot, and they are taking stock of the situation… A total of seven people have died… We are meeting and inquiring about the family members of the people dead and injured… We are trying to identify the people who have died, after this we will send the bodies for post-mortem,” Divakar Kumar Vishwakarma, SHO Jehanabad, stated in an interview with ANI.
The local authorities have launched a thorough investigation into the incident to determine the exact cause of the stampede and to ensure that such a tragedy does not occur again. The incident at Baba Siddhanath Temple is a somber reminder of the dangers posed by overcrowded religious gatherings, especially when safety measures and crowd control are inadequate.
This tragic event in Jehanabad comes just weeks after a similar catastrophe in Uttar Pradesh’s Hathras district, where over 120 people lost their lives during a stampede at a religious congregation on July 2. In that instance, more than 2.5 lakh devotees had gathered in Phulrai village for a ‘Satsang’ conducted by Baba Narayan Hari, also known as Saakar Vishwahari and Bhole Baba. The organizers, however, had secured permission for only 80,000 attendees, far fewer than the actual number present.
Also read: Bihar: Seven Dead, 35 Injured In Tragic Stampede At Siddheshwarnath Temple In Jehanabad
