Woman killed, several injured in Odisha stampede

A 45-year-old woman was killed and 20 people were injured in a stampede that broke out after over two lakh devotees thronged a bridge over the Mahanadi river on the occasion of Makar Sankranti on Saturday afternoon, police said

Published on: Jan 14, 2023, 23:06:59 IST

By Debabrata Mohanty, Bhubaneswar

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A 45-year-old woman was killed and 20 people were injured in a stampede that broke out after over two lakh devotees thronged a bridge over the Mahanadi river on the occasion of Makar Sankranti on Saturday afternoon, police said.

The stampede on Gopinathpur-Badamba T Bridge in Athagarh area when the crowd gathered for Makar Mela. The 3.4km long bridge also connects Singhanath shrine located in the middle of the river.

Chief minister Naveen Patnaik expressed grief over the incident and announced an ex-gratia of ₹ 5 lakh for the next of kin of the deceased.

Athagarh sub collector Hemanta Swain said the injured were shifted to SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack for treatment. The deceased was identified as Anjana Swain.

Cuttack additional superintendent of police (ASP) Ranjit Prusty said the total number of devotees gathered at the spot exceeded at least four times from what the administration expected.

“More than two lakh people had turned up at the shrine,” Prusty said.

Officials said the Mela was not held for two years in view of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Relatives of the injured undergoing treatment at SCB medical college and hospital in Cuttack held the police administration responsible for the tragedy.

“Just about 75-80 policemen were at the spot which was grossly inadequate to handle the huge crowd. The cops were at their wit’s end and many simply ran away seeing the stampede,” a relative of an injured person said, seeking anonymity.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Debabrata Mohanty
Debabrata Mohanty is a senior assistant editor of Hindustan Times who works as state correspondent from Odisha covering the state's politics, governance, public policy, natural disasters, environment and its society for close to three decades. With his long years of reporting from the state capital of Bhubaneswar, Mohanty has been known as one of the most experienced and credible journalists covering Odisha for the national English dailies. His reporting combines on-ground detail with deep institutional knowledge detailing the state's changing politics, governance issues, administrative reforms and the functioning of its public institutions. He has regularly reported on issues ranging from legislative developments and public policy implementation. Politics is his core areas of expertise as he closely tracks Odisha's political landscape, including the rise and transformation of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), the two principal political parties in Odisha. His long association with the state's political establishment enables him to write on contemporary developments in a larger political context. Mohanty takes a deep interest in writing human interest stories, environmental issues and documenting the impact of cyclones, floods, heatwaves, and other climate-related events in one of the most disaster-prone states. His coverage extends to public health, governance reforms and stories on accountability of government institutions. Before joining Hindustan Times, Mohanty worked with The Indian Express, Mail Today, and The Telegraph, where he covered at least six general elections and as many assembly elections. In 2007, he was selected for the prestigious Chevening Young Indian Print Journalist Programme at the University of Lincoln, United Kingdom, where he received advanced training in print journalism. In 2009 he won the Press Institute of India-International Committee of Red Cross award on conflict reporting for his on-ground reportage of 2008 Kandhamal riots.Read More

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