Video of stampede at Patna Temple during Janmashtami celebrations

Devotees thronged the ISKCON temple in Patna on Monday night, coinciding with Janmashtami festival, creating a stampede-like situation, a police officer said.

Senior Patna MP Rajeev Mishra told reporters that some devotees may have suffered minor injuries but police quickly brought the situation under control.

“On the night of Janmashtami, devotees thronged the ISKCON temple in large numbers. An adequate number of security personnel had been deployed there. When the situation turned chaotic, we mobilized more personnel as devotees tried to outdo each other. It was a difficult time for security personnel, but it was not a full-blown stampede,” Mishra said.

Video footage that went viral on social media showed security personnel trying to control the crowds of devotees who were flooding into the temple. Some of them fell to the ground and were helped by security personnel.

“The situation is completely under control. Our first priority is to manage the influx of devotees first. Women security personnel have also been deployed in large numbers.

To a question, he said: “Some believers may have suffered minor injuries.” The Patna district government also issued a statement on the incident.

“There was no stampede at the ISKCON temple. The police used mild force to stop devotees who tried to break through police barricades to enter the temple. The situation is under complete control”.

Earlier this month, at least seven people were killed and 16 injured in a stampede at the Baba Deshwarnath temple in Jehanabad district of Bihar.

(This report has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from associated news agency – PTI)