Siwan (Bihar): Three persons died in a stampede at a temple in Bihar's Siwan district in the early hours of Monday. According to sources in the district administration, the incident took place at the Mahendra Nath Temple in the district during a religious festival.
They further revealed while two women were declared brought dead by doctors after they were rushed to the Siwan Sadar Hospital, another woman who was undergoing treatment succumbed. Official sources identified the two deceased as Lilavati Devi, Suhagmati Devi, and Shiv Kumari.
Sources in the district administration said the temple was getting increasingly crowded since morning, adding that as the day progressed the number of devotees inside increased so much that people started to fall on each other. According to Janak Dev Bhagat, husband of Shiv Kumari, there was a huge crowd inside the temple after the gates were opened at 3 am.
" A stampede broke out while devotees were offering water to Lord Shiva. Lilavati Devi and Suhagmati Devi died after being run over by the crowd near the gate of the temple. The administration has not made any security arrangements here," he said. Another devotee Satish Sharma alleged that even though several people were injured, there was no arrangement for even first aid at the temple.
He said that police reached the spot half an hour after receiving the information.
