NALANDA/PATNA, April 1 -- At least eight devotees, mostly women, were killed and eight injured in a stampede triggered by overcrowding at the Sheetla Mata Temple in Bihar's Nalanda on Tuesday, officials said. Seven people were injured in the melee and they are reported to be stable and under treatment. The Bihar government announced an ex gratia of Rs.6 lakh for the victims' families. Prime Minister Narendra Modi also announced Rs.2 lakh compensation for the families of the deceased and Rs.50,000 for the injured from the PM Relief Fund. Police said a large number of devotees had gathered at the temple to offer prayers, as the last Tuesday of Chaitra month traditionally draws heavy crowds. The rush somehow led to a stampede, resulting in deaths. "The exact cause of the stampede is yet to be ascertained. Prima facie, it appears that possible lapses in crowd control and inadequate security arrangements led to the tragedy. The CCTV footage is being examined, and forensic teams are working to establish the exact sequence of events," said the Station House Officer (SHO) of the Deep Nagar police station. Locals alleged that there were no proper security arrangements at the temple to control the crowd. Ahead of President Droupadi Murmu's visit to Rajgir in Nalanda, the district administration reportedly deployed most of the police force (2,500 personnel) for her security in Rajgir. Devotees from Nalanda and neighbouring districts gather at the temple in Maghada village, barely 100 metres from the Deepnagar police station to offer prayers. Locals alleged that the situation turned chaotic after a sudden rumour triggered panic among the crowd. The rush intensified within seconds, leading to a stampede-like situation. Several people fell amid the surge and were trampled as panicked people ran in haste, a devotee said. Lalit Kumar, a local resident, said, "Mahavir Jayanti and Tuesday coincided so there was a huge crowd there. The barricades broke, and suddenly a stampede occurred. People are saying that people were trampled on and deaths occurred. People are also saying that there was no police there." Bihar Chief Secretary Pratyaya Amrit ordered a probe into the incident and asked Patna Divisional Commissioner Animesh Kumar Prashar and Central Range Inspector General Jitendra Rana to file a report. Senior officials, including Director General (Special Branch) Kundan Krishnan, IG Jitendra Rana, Nalanda DM and others, reached the site to take stock of the situation. Preliminary investigation revealed that neither the temple committee nor the local administration had made preparations for crowd control. The temple has only one room and its campus is also small. People reach there from three sides. No one wanted to be in line. Everyone was in a hurry to pray quickly. The temple priests were making illegal backdoor entries by taking money. The crowd had started assembling since 5 o'clock in the morning and the incident took place at 9 am. Kundan Krishnan while talking with reporters, said, "A sad incident has taken place. There was a mess in the temple premises. People fell unconscious. There was a shop on the way. The ambulance also faced difficulties arriving. The temple priest is negligent. No information was given to the administration. Setting up shops inside is wrong. The CCTV footage is being searched for the police's mistake. The result will be available after the investigation." Nalanda SP Bharat Soni said that the SHO of Deepnagar, Rajmani, has been suspended over the incident. A Special Investigation Team (SIT) has also been formed to investigate the incident. "Today's weather is very hot. When women were entering the temple premises after taking a holy dip in cold water, they started collapsing due to dehydration and suffocation. This led to the unfortunate incident," said a police officer. Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed grief over the loss of lives in the tragic Nalanda stampede and announced financial assistance for the families of the deceased. In a post on X, the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) said, "The mishap in Nalanda district, Bihar, is deeply painful. I extend my condolences to those who have lost their loved ones. Prayers for the speedy recovery of those injured." "An ex-gratia of Rs.2 lakh from PMNRF would be given to the next of kin of each deceased. The injured would be given Rs.50,000," the statement added. Bihar CM Nitish Kumar also expressed deep sorrow over the loss of lives, calling the incident "extremely tragic" and saying he was deeply saddened. He announced an ex gratia of Rs.6 lakh for the families of each deceased - Rs.4 lakh from the Disaster Management Department and Rs.2 lakh from the Chief Minister's Relief Fund. He added that senior officials have been rushed to the spot to oversee relief and rescue operations, while directing authorities to ensure proper treatment of the injured. Meanwhile, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav, expressing condolences, demanded the State government to initiate a high-level probe into the stampede at the Sheetla Mata temple in Nalanda which claimed nine lives on Tuesday. The Leader of Opposition in the Bihar Assembly also said the government should make arrangements to take care of all those injured in the incident. Congress leader Akhilesh Prasad Singh accused the government over the stampede, saying it occurred due to the administration's laxity. He said, "It is unfortunate. The government should remain more vigilant on such incidents. This has all happened due to the administration's laxity. The government should promptly provide compensation to the families of those who lost their lives."...