A stampede-like situation occurred at Jagannath temple in Puri on the occasion of Dola Purnima on Friday. As per initial reports, devotees broke the barricades in front of the Singhadwara to gain entry into the shrine. Sources said two devotees fell down in the commotion which reportedly occurred after a sea of devotees thronged the temple to witness the Suna Besha rituals of the deities.
The devotees were aggrieved as they had to stand in queues for long hours in excess heat and humid conditions. The darshan was earlier stopped for an hour for the Khaira bhoga rituals. However, when the general darshan resumed, a lot of devotees who had gathered in front of the Singhadwara tried to forcibly gain entry into the temple.
The police personnel, deployed near the barricades, failed to control the crowd.
“We had to stand in queue for nearly 3 hours. There is no proper arrangement including public address system,” rued a devotee.
Another devotee from Kolkata said, “We had to wait for hours in long queue. As the heat was unbearable, several devotees, who were standing in front, tried to gain entry by pushing the barricades which led to the situation. The administration needs to address such issues on special occasions.”
A devotee said that the administration has made elaborate arrangements to provide drinking water and other facilities. However, other aspects like proper crowd management should also be prioritised on important festivals, he added.