Puri:At least one devotee died and more than 600 hundreds injured during different incidents of chariot pulling on the Grand Road in Puri during the Rath Jatra today.
Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, Health Minister Mukesh Mahaling, Chief Secretary Manoj Ahuja and other senior officers rushed to the hospital and inquired about the health condition of the injured people.
According to reports, the man got stuck in a large crowd of enthusiastic devotees while trying to pull the chariot of Lord Balabhadra. He lost consciousness due to suffocation in the crowd, following which he was immediately transferred to the District Headquarters Hospital (DHH), Puri district, where doctors pronounced him dead.
“We have information about the death of one person. The reason behind his death will be known after postmortem,” Shri Mahaling told Media.
Director Health Services, Bijay Mohapatra said more than 600 persons have been admitted to the hospital for treatment, of which more than 250 have suffered minor injuries while maximum of the remaining patients admitted with fractures in body are stable, he said.
The Chief Minister has expressed deep grief over the death of Lalit Bagarti, a devotee of Saintala area in Balangir district due to the heavy rush during chariot pulling in Puri today.
The Chief Minister has announced an ex-gratia of Rs 4 lakh for the next of kin of the deceased.
Shri Majhi expressed his condolences to the bereaved family. He ordered the best medical care free of cost to the injured devotees.
Meanwhile, the chariots of Lord Jagannath along with his siblings Lord Balabhadra and Devi Subhadra pulled by devotees stopped after moving a few meters on the Grand Road here.
The Trinity will resume their journey towards Shree Gundicha Temple tomorrow morning after being stranded for the night on the Grand Road.