Stampede at Malkangiri Malyabanta Mahotsav leaves 3 injured

Barely four days after a stampede on Gopinathpur-Badamba T Bridge in Athagarh on the occasion of Makar Sankranti left one person dead and 20 others injured, a similar incident has occurred in Malkangiri district on Tuesday night. 

The stampede occurred on Tuesday night during Malyabanta Mahotsav, the annual cultural event of the district. A huge rush during the festival led to the situation, sources said. 

As per sources, more than 40,000 people gathered at the DNK Ground to enjoy the cultural programme organised on the last day of the five-day festival. 

As the DNK Ground has a capacity to accommodate 20,000 to 30,000 people, the huge crowd led to a stampede leaving at least three injured. The injured were rushed to the district headquarters hospital. Their condition was stated to be stable.  

Sources said Malkangiri Malyabanta was organised in the district after two years of the Covid gap. The five-day festival was formally inaugurated by Steel and Mines Minister Prafulla Kumar Mallick at Malyabanta Mandap at DNK Ground. 

Singers Asima Panda and Mantu Chhuria performed on the last night of the festival. 

It can be mentioned here that one person had died and as many as 20 suffered critical injuries in a stampede on the Gopinathpur-Badamba T Bridge in Athagarh, Cuttack on Saturday. 

As per sources, there was a huge rush on the bridge which connects Singhanath shrine located in the middle of the Mahanadi River on the occasion of Makar Sankranti. The stampede took place when the devotees were negotiating along the bridge.

(Reported by Jitendra Beura, OTV)