Stampede at Bihar temple claims 7 lives amid crowd chaos
Seven people died in a stampede at Ashok Dham temple in Lakhisarai district, Bihar, on Monday morning.
Bihar's Lakhisarai district witnessed a tragic incident on Monday morning when a stampede at the Ashok Dham temple led to the death of seven people. According to officials, the mishap occurred due to the massive crowd of thousands of devotees gathered at Ashok Dham, one of Bihar's oldest Shiva temples.
Explaining the cause of the stampede, Lakhisarai District Magistrate Shailendra Kumar said,
"The incident occurred around 6:40 a.m. when some youths tried to break through the barricades." However, eyewitnesses contradicted the administration's claim and blamed poor crowd management for the stampede.
According to the District Magistrate of Lakhisarai, the crowd at the temple was so large that the queue of devotees extended to Ashok Dham Halt, where local trains stop.
He stated,
"Two trains were halted there. Suddenly, an electric pole fell. This pole was on the right side of the men's queue. As the pole fell, a rumour spread that an electric wire had fallen on people, although it was a cable wire. This increased pressure on the women's queue on the left, causing them to fall over each other."
The injured were admitted to local medical centres for treatment. District administration and police personnel were present at the scene to control the crowd and prevent any further untoward incidents. Thousands of devotees had gathered at the Indramaneshwar Temple in Ashok Dham for prayers on the third Monday of the Hindu calendar's Sawan month, leading to an uncontrollable crowd. Approximately 50,000 devotees had arrived in Lakhisarai for the occasion.
A police officer stated,
"Devotees began gathering in the temple premises from Sunday night itself. The queue extended over six kilometres. It took an average of four hours for a devotee to reach inside the temple."
Eyewitnesses blamed the lack of crowd management for the stampede. An estimated 50,000 people had gathered at the temple. According to witnesses, panic ensued among the devotees as soon as the rumour of an electric pole carrying current spread, causing people to flee. Local residents and devotees tried to rescue those trapped in the crowd.
A police officer mentioned that the crowd became restless and people started pushing each other. He said, "The situation was soon brought under control."
Another police officer noted that people had started arriving at the temple from Sunday night itself. He stated, "The queue was more than six kilometres long. It took an average of four hours for a devotee to reach inside the temple."
Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary expressed grief over the stampede, describing the incident as heart-wrenching, and extended condolences to the families of the deceased. The Chief Minister stated that immediate and proper treatment instructions have been given for those injured in the stampede.
He wrote on X,
"The incident at Ashok Dham in Lakhisarai is extremely sad and heart-wrenching. The news of the death of devotees in the accident is deeply distressing. My deepest condolences to the bereaved families. Necessary instructions have been given to the administration for the proper and prompt treatment of the injured. May God grant peace to the departed souls and speedy recovery to the injured."
This stampede at the Bihar temple is the latest in a series of such incidents in recent days. A few days earlier, during the annual Jagannath Rath Yatra in Odisha, a sudden surge in the crowd led to the death of one devotee and injuries to over 100 people. In January 2025, a stampede at the Kumbh Mela held at the Sangam in Prayagraj resulted in the death of 30 people. This was the sixth stampede during the Kumbh Mela in the past 70 years. The administration is not vigilant about crowd management. It is only after a major accident that people and the government understand the importance of crowd management. The government only woke up after the incident during the Kumbh in Prayagraj.
Earlier this month, a stampede occurred near the Sri Venkateswara Swami Temple in Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh. A large number of devotees had gathered there to obtain free darshan passes. At least six people died and 35 were injured in this incident.