Puri, November 4
A stampede at the 12th century Sri Jagannath temple here today left four persons, including three women, dead and around 20 others injured, prompting the Orissa Government to order a judicial inquiry into the incident.
The stampede occurred when a huge crowd of waiting pilgrims surged forward after a door to the sanctum sanctorum in the shrine opened this morning when the “mangala arati” ritual was on.
The four victims included three elderly women and an old man, official sources said.
The three women victims were identified as Basanti Nayak, Sarojini Panda and Shanti Rath while the man was yet to be identified.
The injured were admitted to the district headquarters hospital where the condition of at least two persons was stated to be serious.
The crowd had gathered at the temple since early morning for a darshan of the deities on the occasion of “Badaosha”, a festival observed in the Hindu month of Kartik.
Chief Administrator of the temple Suresh Mohapatra said as soon as the door opened, the crowd surged forward, causing the devotees in front to trip. This led to the stampede.
Law Minister Biswabhushan Harichandan announced a judicial inquiry by a sitting judge of the Orissa High Court at Bhubaneswar.
An ex-gratia of Rs 1 lakh will be given to the next of kin of the deceased, while the cost of treatment of the injured persons would be borne by the government, he said.
— PTI
