13 hours ago
700 injured in Puri Rath Yatra
BHUBANESWAR: AS Amid the allegations over stampede-like situation due to gross lapses in crowd management during Rath Yatra at Puri, as many as 724 people were admitted to different health facilities, including the district headquarters hospital (DHH), on Friday.
Official sources said, 485 among them were discharged after preliminary treatment while four were shifted to ICU after their condition deteriorated. The DHH also reported two deaths on the day, but officials said those were not related to Rath Yatra.
While a person, who had liver cirrhosis, succumbed while undergoing treatment, another elderly woman, suffering from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, also died.
The temple city had come alive on Friday with vibrant celebrations and spiritual fervour as thousands of devotees thronged the Jagannath temples to participate in the annual Rath Yatra. 'After the ceremonial Pahandi Bije ritual, the traditional Chhera Pahanra was performed.
The pulling of chariots began around 3 pm and concluded by 6.15 pm. An estimated two to three lakh devotees joined the celebration,' said ISKCOn temple PRO Radhakanta Das. He added that the temple distributed prasad to over 30,000 devotees for free.
Meanwhile, Shrivani Kshetra at KISS also hosted the festival with grandeur. 'All rituals were performed smoothly.
KIIT and KISS founder Achyuta Samanta performed the Chhera Pahanra ritual around 3 pm,' said officials from KISS. More than 50,000 people took part in the celebrations, aided by the favourable weather.
In addition to ISKCOn and KISS, the Rath Yatra was celebrated at 56 other locations across the city, including Sailashri Vihar, Dumduma, Baramunda, Patia, Old Town, Rasulgarh, and Vani Vihar. Children were also seen pulling miniature chariots of the Holy Trinity in the Mausima temple area.
