Near stampede at Puri: Devotee killed, several injured

A stampede-like situation occurred during the annual Jagannath Rath Yatra in Puri, Odisha on Sunday. One person was killed while several were left injured during the at the congregation. The incident took place on Bada Danda, the Grand Road of Puri, where the grand procession was underway. Emergency services promptly rushed the injured to nearby hospitals for treatment. The Rath Yatra, a major event in Odisha, draws thousands of devotees who gather to witness the magnificent chariots and participate in pulling them.

Thousands of people pulled forward giant chariots from the 12th-century Jagannath temple in Puri towards Gundicha temple, around 2.5 km away. The chariot pulling started around 5.20 pm after Puri Shankaracharya Swami Nischalanada Saraswati visited the chariots of Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra, and Devi Subhadra with his disciples. This significant event resonated with chants of ‘Jai Jagannath’ and ‘Haribol’ as fervent devotees sought a glimpse of the holy occasion.