Malkangiri: Nearly 20 people, including three critically, sustained injuries during a stampede-like situation at the Malyabanta Stadium here on Tuesday evening. The incident occurred when more than 40,000 people gathered at the stadium to attend a colourful programme on the occasion of the Malyabanta festival. Singers Mantu Chhariya and Asima Panda were the main attractions of the programme.
As the stadium was packed with devotees beyond its capacity, the audience resorted to pushing and shoving to have a proper glimpse of the performers on the stage. The melee started near the entrance gate of the stadium and soon spread to the ground where the audience was seated. When the police started to control the unruly crowd, they found three people lying unconscious on the ground, while several others with varying degrees of injuries.
The seriously injured were treated at the Malkangiri district hospital.
The Malyavant festival began on January 15 and will continue till January 20.
