At Least Seven Dead, 12 Injured in Stampede at Bihar Temple

An estimated 50,000 devotees had gathered at the temple gates on the morning of August 17 to mark the auspicious third Monday of the Hindu month Sawan.

The Wire Staff

An estimated 50,000 devotees had gathered at the temple gates on the morning of August 17 to mark the auspicious third Monday of the Hindu month Sawan.

at least seven dead 12 injured in stampede at bihar temple

Ashokdham Mandir, Lakhisarai district, Bihar. Photo: mungerdivision.bih.nic.in.

New Delhi: A stampede at the Ashok Dham temple in Bihar’s Lakhisarai district has left at least seven people dead and 12 injured on Monday (August 17).

The incident took place at around 6.40 am after a large crowd of devotees attempted to enter the temple, which is renowned for being one of the oldest shrines to Hindu deity Shiva in Bihar.

"The barricade broke down, which triggered a sudden stampede,” Lakhisarai District Magistrate Shailendra Kumar told The Hindu. An electric pole also fell at the site, further threatening the lives of those involved.

The wounded have been shifted to the Southern hospital for treatment, several of whom have reportedly been gravely injured. Most of those killed and injured in the tragedy were women.

An estimated 50,000 devotees had reportedly come to the temple to mark the third Sawan Monday, an auspicious day during the Hindu month of Sawan.

Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary reacting to the incident said it was "extremely tragic and heart-wrenching."

"The news of the deaths of devotees in the accident has left my heart deeply distressed. My deepest condolences go out to the bereaved families. Necessary instructions have been issued to the administration for the proper and expeditious treatment of the injured. May God grant peace to the departed souls and a swift recovery to the injured," he wrote on X.

लखीसराय के अशोकधाम की घटना अत्यंत दुःखद एवं हृदयविदारक है।
हादसे में श्रद्धालुओं की मृत्यु की खबर से मन व्यथित है। शोक संतप्त परिवारों के प्रति मेरी गहरी संवेदनाएं हैं।
घायलों के समुचित एवं त्वरित इलाज के लिए प्रशासन को आवश्यक निर्देश दिए गए हैं। ईश्वर दिवंगत आत्माओं को शांति…
— Samrat Choudhary (@samrat4bjp) August 17, 2026

In a later post, Choudhary announced that "a solatium grant of Rs 4 lakh" will be provided by the state government to the "immediate dependents of the deceased." "In this hour of grief, the state government stands in complete solidarity and commitment with the bereaved families," he said.

लखीसराय के अशोकधाम हाल्ट पर हुई हृदयविदारक दुर्घटना में सभी मृतकों के निकटतम आश्रितों को राज्य सरकार की ओर से ₹4-4 लाख अनुग्रह अनुदान दिया जाएगा।
दुःख की इस घड़ी में राज्य सरकार पूरी संवेदना और प्रतिबद्धता के साथ शोक संतप्त परिवारों के साथ खड़ी है।🙏
— Samrat Choudhary (@samrat4bjp) August 17, 2026

This article went live on August seventeenth, two thousand twenty six, at fifty-four minutes past eleven in the morning.

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