10 Devotees Hurt During Stampede-Like Situation In Puri Jagannath Temple

Puri: At least ten 10 devotees, including women, reportedly sustained injuries following a stampede-like situation inside the Shree Jagannath Temple in Odisha’s pilgrim town of Puri on Friday.

As per preliminary information, the incident took place in the 12th century shrine which was visited by a large number of devotees during the holy month of Kartik in the morning.

Around ten devotees were reported to have sustained minor injuries in the incident that took place soon after ‘Mangal Aalati’ in the Temple. Several devotees fell down in the midst of surging crowd and fell suffocated. All the injured persons were immediately provided with preliminary treatment in the Temple and then shifted to Puri hospital.

After the Mangala Alati was complete, the devotes were allowed to move inside. However, a stampede-like situation cropped up as a huge crowd entered. Devotees said the incident took place near the Ghantidwara and Satapahacha inside the shrine after all the devotees waiting outside were allowed to enter at a time.

The Temple police helped the devotees who fell down. Most of the injured persons were discharged after necessary treatment, sources said.