Puri Rath Yatra stampede: 2 dead

While one woman was killed near Balagandi square when Lord Balabhadra’s chariot “Taladhwaja” was passing through the area on the Grand Road, another died in a similar incident near Marichkot Chak, police said.

The injured were admitted to the district headquarters hospital here and two of them were later shifted to the SCB Medical College and Hospital at Cuttack, it said.

The stampede was the result of a sudden surge in the crowd surrounding the chariot as it was proceeding towards the Gundicha Temple; police said additional details are awaited. The identity of the deceased, aged around 60 years, is yet to be ascertained.

Around 60 people fainted during the Rath Yatra due to heat and exhaustion and have been shifted to various hospitals in Puri.

Amid tight security, the millennium’s first Nabakalebar Rath Yatra of Lord Jagannath is being held in Puri on Saturday with fanfare, religious fervour, enthusiasm and a spirit of camaraderie. Lakhs of devotees from across the country and abroad descended in Puri to witness the commencement of the nine-day journey of the new idols of Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra and Devi Subhadra to Gundicha Temple and back to their abode. Enthusiasm and excitement ran high among devotees as the deities remained indoors for 45 days this time due to Nabakalebar, marking change of bodies of the Lords, which took place after a gap of 19 years.

“Naba Jaubana Darshan” of the deities was performed on Friday as they remained confined in “Anasara Pindi” (recovery chamber) after the grand bath on “Snana Purnima” on June 2. With over 30 lakh pilgrims expected to attend the festivities, police have made elaborate arrangements to provide a thick security cover by deploying about 10,000 personnel besides putting air and coast surveillance in place.

“Police are well-prepared to face any situation. Besides engagement of many senior officers, 164 platoons of force have been deployed at strategic points. Precautions have been taken to avoid any stampede like situation,” IGP and officer on special duty Soumendra K Priyadarshi said.