No ambulance on time, no crowd management: Arvind Kejriwal on Nalanda stampede

Former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday criticised local authorities over the stampede at the Shitala Mata Temple in Bihar’s Nalanda district that left eight women dead and several others injured.

Expressing shock and grief over the tragedy, Kejriwal wrote on X, "The news of some devotees losing their lives and several others being injured in the stampede at the Shitala Mata Temple in Nalanda is extremely heartbreaking. My deepest condolences go out to the grieving families".

Claiming there were several lapses on the part of the authorities, the AAP national convenor added, "The ambulance did not arrive on time, and there was no preparation for crowd management. The administration across the country needs to exercise greater vigilance at crowded places".

The tragedy occurred on Tuesday morning during a religious gathering at the Shitala Mata Temple, where a massive influx of devotees led to overcrowding and chaos.

Eyewitnesses said the situation spiralled out of control as people rushed for darshan, resulting in several being crushed in the stampede.

The temple reportedly witnesses heavy footfall every Tuesday, and the rush was significantly higher as it was the last Tuesday of the Chaitra month.

Disturbing visuals from the site showed scores of devotees, mostly women, lying unconscious on the ground as rescue operations were launched.

The Bihar government has ordered a probe into the incident, directing the Chief Secretary to conduct a detailed investigation. Authorities have also suspended the in-charge of the Deepnagar police station in connection with the incident.

AAP TARGETS CENTRE OVER FUEL CRISIS

The Aam Aadmi Party also launched a scathing attack on the Modi government at the Centre, alleging a severe LPG and fuel crisis across the country.

"Due to the Modi government, chaos has spread across the entire country... Industries have come to a standstill and the whole country is stuck in lines," the party posted on X.

AAP shared clips and images of people standing in queues, claiming people were finding it hard to get domestic LPG cylinders and petrol at fuel stations, stressing that while the Prime Minister and the Home Minister claim everything to be under control and there is no need to panic, the pictures on the ground tell a different story.

The party claimed the Union government has failed on foreign policy, leading to shortages, with people reportedly queueing for cylinders and fuel at stations nationwide.

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