Sheetla Mata temple stampede: Four arrested, 40 booked

Patna: A day after a stampede at the Sheetla Mata Temple in Bihar claimed nine lives, including eight women, and left 12 others injured, police on Wednesday arrested four priests and registered a case against 40 individuals. State DGP Vinay Kumar also ordered a security audit of religious places across Bihar.

Police said an FIR had been filed at Deepnagar police station against 20 named and 20 unidentified persons, including key members of the temple’s management committee such as its president, secretary, and treasurer.

The arrested priests were identified as Anuj Kumar Pandey, Awadhesh Kumar Mishra, Vivekananda Pandey, and Niranjan Kumar Pandey, TNIE reported.

Authorities also suspended Deepnagar SHO Rajmani along with four other police personnel over alleged security lapses and inadequate crowd management. Officials indicated that a preliminary inquiry pointed to shortcomings under the jurisdiction of the local police station, noting that the SHO had reportedly been assigned duty in Rajgir in view of the visit of President Droupadi Murmu.

According to the DGP, a special investigation team has been constituted to examine the circumstances that led to the incident. He noted that over 8,000 devotees had gathered at the temple, while the management had allegedly failed to ensure proper queue arrangements.

Ranvir Nandan, chairman of the Bihar State Religious Trusts Board, visited the site and acknowledged lapses in management, stating that better regulation and registration of temples were necessary to prevent such tragedies.

Initial findings suggested that poor crowd control measures were a major factor behind the stampede. Investigators are also examining allegations that some individuals may have taken money to allow devotees to bypass queues, causing sudden overcrowding.

The security audit will assess whether entry and exit arrangements at religious sites are adequate for the expected number of visitors, the DGP said.