<p>At least nine persons, including eight women, have been killed in the stampede which took place at Sheetla Mata Mandir in Nalanda on Tuesday. While eight women died on the spot, a male member passed away while undergoing treatment at the hospital.</p><p>According to locals, there was a huge rush at the temple this morning where devotees throng every Tuesday for ‘darshan’ (paying obeisance to the God). However, the police deployment to control the crowd at the temple was inadequate as around 2500 cops from eight districts had been deployed in the security arrangements of the President Droupadi Murmu, who was on a day visit to Nalanda to attend the convocation ceremony of Nalanda University.</p>.Double exit: Nitish Kumar quits as MLC, Nitin Nabin steps down as Bihar MLA.<p><strong>EX-GRATIA</strong></p><p>Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who announced an ex-gratia of Rs 6 lakh each to the next kin of the deceased, has asked Chief Secretary Pratyay Amrit to investigate the matter and submit his report. Prime Minister Narendra Modi too has expressed his grief and announced an ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh each.</p><p>President Murmu, who was in Nalanda on Tuesday, expressed her shock and dismay over the incident. In a tweet in Hindi, she hoped those injured get well soon. “The news of the death of devotees in the stampede at the Nalanda temple is extremely heartbreaking. I express my deepest condolences to all the bereaved families. I pray for the swift recovery of all those who have been injured,” said Murmu, in a post in Hindi on X.</p>.<p><strong>WHAT HAPPENED</strong></p><p>“The stampede took place when there was a mad scramble among the devotees to pay obeisance to the God at the earliest. In the process, they pushed each other, breaking the queue. In the melee, many women devotees fell on the ground, many were trampled with. Some of them felt unconscious,” an eyewitness narrated the chain of events. “Ambulance was summoned but the first ambulance came after 40 minutes. By then eight of the women devotees had died.” he added.</p><p>Nalanda SP, Bharat Soni, who has constituted an SIT (Special Investigation Team) to probe the incident, has suspended the local SHO (Station House Officer), Rajmani, for negligence of duty.</p>
<p>At least nine persons, including eight women, have been killed in the stampede which took place at Sheetla Mata Mandir in Nalanda on Tuesday. While eight women died on the spot, a male member passed away while undergoing treatment at the hospital.</p><p>According to locals, there was a huge rush at the temple this morning where devotees throng every Tuesday for ‘darshan’ (paying obeisance to the God). However, the police deployment to control the crowd at the temple was inadequate as around 2500 cops from eight districts had been deployed in the security arrangements of the President Droupadi Murmu, who was on a day visit to Nalanda to attend the convocation ceremony of Nalanda University.</p>.Double exit: Nitish Kumar quits as MLC, Nitin Nabin steps down as Bihar MLA.<p><strong>EX-GRATIA</strong></p><p>Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who announced an ex-gratia of Rs 6 lakh each to the next kin of the deceased, has asked Chief Secretary Pratyay Amrit to investigate the matter and submit his report. Prime Minister Narendra Modi too has expressed his grief and announced an ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh each.</p><p>President Murmu, who was in Nalanda on Tuesday, expressed her shock and dismay over the incident. In a tweet in Hindi, she hoped those injured get well soon. “The news of the death of devotees in the stampede at the Nalanda temple is extremely heartbreaking. I express my deepest condolences to all the bereaved families. I pray for the swift recovery of all those who have been injured,” said Murmu, in a post in Hindi on X.</p>.<p><strong>WHAT HAPPENED</strong></p><p>“The stampede took place when there was a mad scramble among the devotees to pay obeisance to the God at the earliest. In the process, they pushed each other, breaking the queue. In the melee, many women devotees fell on the ground, many were trampled with. Some of them felt unconscious,” an eyewitness narrated the chain of events. “Ambulance was summoned but the first ambulance came after 40 minutes. By then eight of the women devotees had died.” he added.</p><p>Nalanda SP, Bharat Soni, who has constituted an SIT (Special Investigation Team) to probe the incident, has suspended the local SHO (Station House Officer), Rajmani, for negligence of duty.</p>