post news network
Puri: At least 17 devotees were injured in a stampede like situation in the queues before darshan of the Trinity near the Lion’s Gate of the Jagannath temple here Sunday.
The injured were rushed to the district headquarters hospital here and released after first-aid, police said.
Police said 2 lakh devotees gathered near Srimandir in the morning to witness the Laxmi-Narayan besha (incarnation) of Lord Jagannath and his consort Goddess Mahalaxmi on the occasion of ‘Badaekadashi’ of ‘Karthik Panchaka Brata’.
Shree Jagannath temple administration (SJTA) officials and the security personnel erected several barricades near the Lion’s Gate and allowed the devotees to enter Srimandir in queues. The devotees were asked to exit the temple through the South, North and West gates to facilitate crowd management.
Police said Parul Buxi (68) of Maitree Vihar in Bhubaneswar, Prashant Kumar Mishra (59) of Denkanal, Sarita Gauda (14) of Ganjam, Sabita Choudhury (45) and Pramila Jena of Chhatrapur, Mohini Reddy (18) of Jagannathpur, Basant Mohanty (67) of Berhampur, Kumudini Sahu (45) of Bhubaneswar, Mahalaxmi Patra (72) of Paralakhemundi, Taapoi Dei (40) of Khurda, Aji Behera (65) of Kuhudi, Khali Sahu of Bolagarh, Satyabati Sinha, a resident of Assam and three locals including Sanjukta Barik (40) Nayani Bewa (60) and Netramani Pradhan (80) lost their consciousness and collapsed when there was a mad rush at the temple entrance.
Soon after the incident, security personnel and volunteers rushed to the spot and rescued the injured and admitted them to the district headquarters hospital without wasting time, police added.
“Adequate arrangements were in made in and around the temple to facilitate safety of the devotees. However, a few devotees lost their consciousness due to heavy rush and suffocation near the Lion’s Gate,” SJTA public relations officer Laxmidhar Pujapanda said.
