During the observance of ‘Snana Yatra’ festival in the Srimandir on Sunday, three unpleasant incidents were reported.
According to sources, a devotee while witnessing the bathing rituals of Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra and Devi Subhadra in the temple fell ill and collapsed on the ground. The security personnel gave him Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR). As his condition deteriorated, he was rushed to the district headquarters hospital (DHH). The doctors there declared him received dead.
The deceased has been identified as Ambalal from Rajasthan. While the cause of the death is yet to be ascertained, it is suspected that the devotee might have died due to cardiac arrest.
In another incident, a foreigner was spotted inside the shrine. By the time some journalists spotted him he had already reached the holy Baisi Pahacha or called 22 steps. They then alerted the security personnel who stopped him and took him out of the temple.
In the third incident, blood stains were spotted near the bathing altar, resulting in the ‘Maha Snana’ of the Holy Trinity. A Jagannath Temple Police (JTP) personnel first spotted the blood stains and reported it to the servitors. It is suspected that any servitor might have sustained injuries during observation of ‘Deva Snana’ rituals.