New Delhi: At least nine people died and five were injured in a stampede at the Sheetla Mata Temple in Bihar’s Nalanda district on Tuesday (March 31). The temple, located in Maghada village, draws devotees from Nalanda and surrounding districts every Tuesday. Locals have alleged that inadequate crowd control measures could have led to the tragedy. All the victims are believed to be women.The district administration has since shut the temple. The Bihar government announced an ex gratia payment of Rs 6 lakh to the families of the deceased. Prime Minister Narendra Modi separately announced Rs 2 lakh for each victim’s family and Rs 50,000 for the injured from the PM Relief Fund.Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar and deputy chief minister Samrat Choudhary offered condolences and assured assistance to the affected families. The state’s chief secretary has been directed to investigate the incident and submit a report to the government. A Special Investigation has been set up by the district administration to this end, the Hindu reported. Meanwhile, Deep Nagar Station House Officer (SHO) Rajmani was suspended over the incident, the report said.President Droupadi Murmu condoled the loss of lives and said, “The news of the death of numerous devotees in a stampede at a temple in Nalanda, Bihar, is extremely heartbreaking. I express my deepest condolences to all the bereaved families. I pray for the swift recovery of all those who have been injured.”Murmu was on a day-long visit to Bihar to address the convocation ceremony of Nalanda University in Rajgir city. According to the Hindu, most of the police force had been directed towards Rajgir ahead of Murmu’s visit.