Odisha CM condoles death of devotee during Puri Rath Yatra, announces Rs 4 lakh ex gratia

BHUBANESWAR: Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi has expressed grief over the death of a devotee during the Lord Jagannath Rath Yatra procession in Puri on June 7 and announced Rs 4 lakh ex-gratia to the next of kin of the deceased.

“Chief Minister Majhi expressed deep grief over the death of a devotee named Lalitha Bagarti of Saitala block of Balangir district due to the crowd during the procession today and expressed his condolences to the bereaved family”, read the post by the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO).

Chief Minister Majhi announced Rs 4 lakh ex-gratia to the kin of the deceased who died during chariot pulling in Puri and free treatment for the injured. A devotee tragically died due to suffocation during the pulling of Lord Balabhadra’s Taladhwaja chariot at Rath Yatra in Puri. Though rushed to hospital, he was declared brought dead, said the CMO.

#WATCH | Lord Balbhadra’s chariot, ‘Taladhwaja’, being pulled by servitors amid chanting during Rath Yatra in Puri, Odisha pic.twitter.com/vHlu5luID1

— ANI (@ANI) July 8, 2024

As per reports, a man died and several others were injured due to a stampede-like situation during Rath Yatra in Odisha’s Puri on Sunday. Thousands of people pulled forward giant chariots from the century-old Jagannath temple in Puri on Sunday afternoon. Wooden horses were fitted to the chariots and the servitor pilots guided the devotees to pull the chariots in the right direction.

President Droupadi Murmu on Sunday took part in the annual Jagannath Rath Yatra in Puri, one of the significant and eagerly awaited festivals in India. Along with the President, Odisha Governor Raghubar Das, Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi and Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan also took part in the celebrations.

A large number of devotees from across the country gathered today in Odisha’s Puri to take the blessings of Lord Jagannath as a two-day Lord Jagannath Rath Yatra commenced on Sunday. The Rath Yatra, also known as the Chariot Festival, is believed to be as old as the Jagannath Temple in Puri. The festival is associated with Lord Jagannath, an avatar of Lord Vishnu, and his siblings.

During the Yatra, the deities Lord Jagannath, his brother Balabhadra and his sister Subhadra are carried on wooden chariots from Jagannath Temple to Gundicha Temple in Puri. (ANI)