Tag: dead

1 dead, 14 injured after stampede in Bihar temple

Source: hindustantimes.comv

An unidentified devotee, in his sixties, died and at least 15 others fainted and were injured in a stampede at a popular temple of Lord Shiva in Bihar’s Lakhisarai district on Monday.

Thousands had gathered at Indramaneshwar Temple in Ashokdham to offer prayers on the last Monday of the holy Shravan month when the accident happened. However, the local district administration claimed there was no stampede and that the elderly man had died of ‘cardiac arrest’.

Locals and eyewitnesses countered the administration’s claim. They said it was a major stampede caused by lack of crowd management and claimed that the man suffocated during the rush of people.

Police said those who fainted were taken to the nearby medical camp but there was chaos due to the lack of a proper medical team.

“The crowd had started pouring at the temple premises from Sunday night. The queue stretched for over six kilometres. It took an average eight hours of wait for a pilgrim to get inside the temple,” said a police official.

Police had erected barricades but the swelling crowds resulted in piling up of people, some of whom even crossed over the lines.

Deputy inspector general of police (Munger range) Manu Maharaaj, who reached the spot after the incident, said that the old devotee has not been identified so far.

“No incident of stampede had been reported from the spot,” he said.

Maharaaj added that security personnel were keeping a strict vigil to regulate the heavy rush of devotees in the temple and the situation was under control.

ADG (headquarters) Jitendra Kumar said there were no injury marks on the deceased’s body, which was taken to the Sadar Hospital for a postmortem examination.

“One company of Rapid Action Force and Sashastra Seema Bal have been stationed at Patna and Bhagalpur respectively to assist the local police in maintaining law and order in case any disturbance is reported,” Kumar said.

Shiva temples across Bihar have been witnessing a surge of a crowd since morning.

Bihar: National Hindi daily journalist shot dead in Madhubani

Source: indiatoday.in

A journalist working for a national Hindi daily was shot dead by two motorcycle-borne miscreants at Sarsopahi bazar under Pandaul police station area of Bihar’s Madhubani district late Sunday evening, police said on Monday.

The deceased has been identified as Pradeep Mandal (36), Pandaul police station SHO Anuj Kumar said.

The bike-borne criminals identified as- Sushil Sah and Ashok Kamat- fled from the spot after pumping two bullets in the scribe’s stomach, the SHO said.

Mandal, who was associated with a national Hindi daily (Dainik Jagran) as its Pandaul block stringer, was rushed to Sarsopahi primary health centre where doctors declared him brought dead, the police official said.

Prima facie it seems to be the case of an old enmity between the slain media persons and the attackers, the SHO said.

The two miscreants have criminal antecedents as both have been named in a criminal case lodged with Bhairav Asthan police station of the district.

The body has been sent to Madhubani sadar hospital for autopsy, the SHO said.

Condemning the murder of the journalist, opposition RJD demanded immediate arrest of the criminals.

“I strongly condemn the killing of the journalist in Madhubani. This is the glaring example of deteriorating law and order situation in the state. Democracy will be in perils if people, who work as a watchman of democracy, are shot dead by criminals.

“Journalists are the mirror of the society and it is the first and foremost duty of the government to protect them. The administration arrest criminals immediately,” RJD legislator and spokesman Shakti Singh Yadav said.

23 dead in Bihar, Jharkhand after lightning strike

Source: indiatoday.in

At least 23 people were killed and three others injured in lightning strikes in Bihar and Jharkhand, police said on Wednesday.

Thirteen people died in Aurangabad, East Champaran and Bhagalpur districts of Bihar, while in Jharkhand, 10 people lost their lives in Jamtara, Ramgarh and Pakur districts.

The deaths in lightning strikes occurred since Tuesday night, police officials said adding that three persons were injured in Jharkhand.

Bihar is also witnessing heavy rains.

Of the seven deceased in Aurangabad district of central Bihar, four persons, including a woman, were killed on Tuesday night in Goh police station area, Station House Officer (SHO) Venkateshwar Ojha said.

Three more persons died in Rafiganj and Kasma police station areas of the district.

In East Champaran, two persons, including a 13-year-old girl, died in their sleep when lightning struck the asbestos roof of their house in Patpariya village under Mofussil police station limits, the Station House Officer (SHO) Manish Kumar said.

Two others were killed in Gobindganj and Kotwa police station areas in lightning strikes in the morning.

A couple of more persons lost their lives at Sanokhar and Amanda police station areas in Bhagalpur district on Tuesday night, police said.

Unconfirmed reports, however, claimed that over 30 people were killed in the rain-hit state.

The state disaster management department said Bihar has received an average rainfall of 28.9 mm on Wednesday, which was 221 per cent above normal.

In Jharkhand, five persons, including two minors, were killed and another suffered injuries at Kusmahapahadi block of Jamtara district, Circle Officer Chandradev Prasad said.

All of them were returning after taking a bath at a nearby pond when it started raining. They stood under a road bridge when lightning struck them.

A 60-year-old woman also lost her life at Bindapathar village in Jamtara, the circle officer said.

In Ramgarh district, two persons were killed and as many injured when lightning struck them at Chikor village. They were watching a cricket match standing under a tree when the incident happened, Patratu sub-divisional police officer Prakash Chandra Mahto said.

Two women also died in lightning strikes while working in the fields at Littipara and Hiranpur police station areas in Pakur district, police said.

Bihar man carries dead son on shoulders, district magistrate orders probe

Source: hindustantimes.com

The Nalanda district magistrate has ordered a probe after it came to light that a man was forced to carry the body of his eight-year-old son on his shoulders on Tuesday as the hearse at government hospital was unavailable at that time.

The incident brought back the memories last year’s incident in Odisha, where one Dana Manjhi was forced to walk 10 kilometers carrying his wife’s body on his shoulders as he was not provided any transport from the government hospital to his village in Kalahandi district.

Tuesday’s incident took place at the Sadar hospital at Biharsharif, 75 kms south-east of Patna.

Nalanda DM Yogendra Singh has sought clarification from the civil surgeon Parmanand Chowdhary and constituted a two-member team led by the SDM to investigate the matter.

“The incident has come to our knowledge but the lone hearse at Sadar hospital had gone to Silau and the man did not wait for its return. Instead, he preferred to carry the body on his shoulders,” the DM said.

Sources said the boy, from Sagar Sitabigha village of Parwalpur, fell unconscious while riding a bicycle. He was admitted to a private clinic from where he was referred to Biharsharif Sadar Hospital, where he died during the course of treatment.

The DM said this was second such incident in the district in recent times when an ambulance service had been found wanting. “A few months ago, the agency providing the service was penalised after it was found that the drivers were taking money from patients for the service provided,” he said.

Similar incidents in May 2017 in Majhaulia village of Muzaffarpur, and in October 2017 in Patna, had raised questions on health care system in the state.