Post News Network
Puri,May 22: A devotee sustained critical injuries while additional superintendent of police Jagannath Pradhan escaped with minor injuries after a stampede broke out at Baradanda when the cart carrying daru of lord Jagannath was taken out on a procession from Nrusingha Peeth to Koili Baikuntha, Friday.
The injured devotee, Bibek Pratap Singh of Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh), was immediately rushed to the district headquarters hospital. Sources said the daru-laden cart started the procession towards Srimandir at around 9.15am.
Lakhs of devotees had congregated to have a glimpse of the Lord’s daru. Singh was pulling the cart when he lost balance during jostling in the crowd and sustained critical injuries. Though the police had cordoned off the area to protect the devotees, it could not prevent the mishap.
Many devotees were disappointed after they failed to have a darshan of daru of Lord Jagannath as the daitapati servitors had covered the cart from all sides. Devotees from far-off places have expressed their displeasure over the issue.
“We have come to the city to have a glimpse of the daru, but we could not see it as the servitors had covered the cart,” complained Krutibas Mohanty of Nayagarh. AP Singh of Lucknow said, ‘‘the servitors had covered the cart from all sides preventing us from seeing the daru. We managed to catch a glimpse of the daru after some servitors alighted from the cart near North Gate.”