Bhubaneswar, July 16 -- At least one person died and more than 100 others fainted following a stampede-like crowd surge during the annual Jagannath Rath Yatra in Puri, Odisha on Thursday. Leader of Opposition and Biju Janata Dal (BJD) president Naveen Patnaik expressed profound grief over the reported deaths and injuries in the tragedy on Puri's Grand Road during the Rath Yatra, and called upon the State Government to strengthen crowd management and ensure the safety of devotees.
In a post on X, Mr Patnaik said he was "deeply saddened" by the reports of devotees losing their lives in the incident. He prayed for the eternal peace of the departed souls, wished a speedy recovery to the more than 100 injured devotees, and said BJD workers woul...