Puri: At least 20 devotees sustained injuries in a stampede in the Puri Jagannath Temple after the ‘Mangala Aalati’ on Friday morning. All the injured were taken to the Puri Sadar Hospital.
According to reports, numerous devotees had congregated near the Ghantidwara and Satapahacha in the temple premises. After the ‘Mangala Aalati’ all the devotees were allowed to enter the temple at the same time, resulting in a stampede. Many devotees fell on the ground and some of them came under the feet of others.
Incidentally, there is no barricade near the Natamandap or near the Jay-Bijay Dwara of the temple. Therefore, there was a huge rush of devotees after they crossed the Singhdwara and Baisipahacha to reach Satapahacha.
An injured woman devotee from Khurda, who was admitted to the Puri Sadar Hospital after the stampede, said, “Numerous devotees had congregated outside the temple and when we were allowed to enter the temple at one time, there was a huge rush resulting in a stampede. I fell down and people stepped on me. The police helped me stand up and brought me to the hospital by an ambulance.”
Many Habishyalis and other devotees said that during the stampede people jumped on them and kicked them.
