A sudden crowd surge throughout a well-liked Hindu pageant in japanese India left three folks lifeless and over a dozen others hospitalized on Sunday, in accordance with native authorities.
“There was a sudden crowd surge of devotees for having a glimpse of the Hindu deities during which a few people either fainted, felt suffocated or complained of breathlessness,” stated Siddharth Shankar Swain, the highest authorities official in Puri.
Swain instructed The Associated Press that 15 folks had been rushed to a neighborhood authorities hospital, the place three folks had been pronounced lifeless. Autopsies are deliberate to find out the precise causes of demise. The different 12 folks have been discharged.
Tens of hundreds of devotees gathered within the coastal city early Sunday at Shree Gundicha Temple, close to the well-known Jagannatha Temple, to catch a glimpse of the deities onboard three chariots, Swain stated.
The coastal temple city of Puri comes alive every year with the grand “Rath Yatra,” or chariot pageant, in one of many world’s oldest and largest spiritual processions. The centuries-old pageant entails Hindu deities being taken out of the temple and pushed in colorfully embellished chariots.
The pageant is one in all Hinduism’s most revered occasions and attracts tons of of hundreds of devotees yearly from throughout India and the world.
Naveen Patnaik, a former prime elected official of Odisha State, the place Puri is situated, stated in a social media put up that “no authorities equipment (was) current to handle the surging crowds, highlighting a surprising lapse in obligation.”
“While I refrain from accusing the government of criminal negligence, their blatant callousness has undeniably contributed to this tragedy,” he stated.
Patnaik known as the incident a “stampede” that “exposes the government’s glaring incompetence in ensuring a peaceful festival for devotees.”
In a social media put up, Mohan Charan Majhi, the highest elected official of Odisha, apologized for the incident, saying it occurred “due to stampede among devotees” amid pleasure to have a glimpse of the deities.
Majhi stated the safety negligence can be investigated instantly.
“This negligence is inexcusable,” he stated, including that concrete motion can be taken towards the individuals concerned.
Source: www.dailysabah.com