Grief and rush at Nalanda hospitals

Patna: Biharsharif Sadar Hospital and a nearby private hospital in Pawapuri in Nalanda district turned into a scene of grief and urgent medical activity on Tuesday following the deadly stampede at Sheetla Mata Temple near Maghra village.

At least nine devotees, including eight women, lost their lives in the overcrowding incident during morning prayers on the last Tuesday of the Chaitra month. Medical teams from the district model hospital reached the site and brought the victims to the hospital. The bodies of the deceased women were taken directly for post-mortem examinations, while around seven injured persons, mostly women, were admitted for immediate treatment.




Medical staff indicated that some of the injured were in critical condition, suffering from suffocation and trampling injuries after collapsing in the massive rush.

Providing information about the injured patients, Nalanda civil surgeon Dr Jai Prakash Singh said out of the 17 people brought to the facility, four are currently admitted at the sadar hospital, while two have been referred to Patna and one is admitted at a private hospital in Pawapuri. “The remaining were deceased, and their bodies were handed over to families after post-mortem. The four patients currently admitted at sadar hospital are reported to be in stable condition with no major complications,” he said.

Singh clarified that the two patients referred to Patna were not shifted due to critical condition — one of them had personally requested the referral. “All admitted patients are being kept in the emergency ward. The primary causes of injuries among the victims were suffocation and trampling injuries,” he told this newspaper.

He mentioned that a massive crowd of approximately 25,000 devotees had gathered at the temple with people rushing to perform puja and offer jal, which triggered the unfortunate stampede.

The patients admitted at the district hospital were identified as Sakshi Sinha, 28, from Rajgir; Pankaj Kumar, 21, from Rahui; Anushka Sinha, 24, from Rajgir; and Geeta Devi, 40, from Ramchandarpur. One patient, Mohit Kumar, 17, from Murgiyachak, is admitted at the private hospital. The patients referred to Patna include Kanti Devi, 50, from Barhai Bigha, and Smriti Kumari, 24, from Rana Bigha.

Responding to allegations of delayed ambulances, hospital officials clarified that the temple site is located approximately 8-9 km away, which naturally required time for travel. “A medical team was stationed at the site from the beginning, and 4-5 ambulances were promptly dispatched from the district hospital. All doctors were deployed on duty well in advance. The bodies of the deceased were handed over to their families after post-mortem and sent home via ambulance. Medical teams continue to monitor the admitted patients closely, providing necessary care and support during this difficult time,” Dr Singh said.

After the incident, locals and devotees alleged that an ambulance arrived at the scene around 40 minutes after the incident. An eyewitness claimed that several calls were made for an ambulance. “The first ambulance arrived about 40 minutes after the incident, and some police officers also came. After this, the injured were sent to the hospital,” he said.
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