Odisha: One dies of suffocation, several hurt in stampede-like situation at Puri’s Rath Yatra

A devotee died of suffocation in Odisha’s Puri on Sunday during the annual Rath Yatra, while several others were injured because of a stampede-like situation, reported The Indian Express.

The incident occurred when thousands of devotees were pulling the chariot carrying an idol of Hindu deity Balabhadra during the annual festival.

Over 300 devotees were brought to hospital for medical treatment on Sunday and they were later discharged, Prasanth Kumar Patnaik a doctor in Puri told The Times of India.

“We are trying to ascertain the identity of the deceased,” state health minister Mukesh Mahaling told The Indian Express. “I have personally monitored the health infrastructure and directed the hospital authorities to be ready to ensure proper healthcare to the injured.”

Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi announced an ex-gratia payment of Rs 4 lakh to the family of the dead person, reported The Indian Express.

The police meanwhile said that while it was not a stampede, a huge amount of devotees had gathered to pull the chariot, reported The Times of India.

“There was an unprecedented rush of devotees, who were restless to pull the chariots,” Puri’s Superintendent of Police Pinak Mishra told the newspaper. “It was not a stampede.”

During the annual religious event, the idols of four deities from the Jagannath temple are placed on chariots, which are then pulled by devotees.

The incident in Puri came five days after 121 persons died in a stampede in Uttar Pradesh’s Hathras at a gathering convened by religious preacher Narayan Saakar Hari, popularly known as Bhole Baba. A crowd of about 2.5 lakh persons from several districts and nearby states had gathered at the venue for the event.

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