Nine students injured in stampede-like situation at Puri temple, separate queue established for school children

As many as nine students were injured in a stampede-like situation at the Puri Jagannath temple on Monday, December 26. In response, the district administration has established a separate queue for schoolchildren at the temple.

The nine injured students, all girls, were released from the hospital earlier in the day, and have returned home to Mayurbhanj district, informed Puri Superintendent of Police KV Singh, as per a PTI report.  

Singh said, "We have introduced a separate queue for school children (in the temple) from today keeping in view the arrival of pupils during the winter vacation. Now many schoolchildren are coming for picnics to Puri and going to the temple".

The students were part of a group of 70 boys and girls from Hrudananda High School who had come to Puri for a picnic during the Christmas holidays.

Initial reports on Monday, December 26, stated that six girls were involved in the stampede-like incident at the Puri Jagannath temple, where they fainted while climbing the 22 steps 'Baisi Pahacha' to the temple at around 8 pm. However, the Puri Superintendent of Police (SP) later revealed that an additional three girls had also fainted and were admitted to the hospital.

"We had reported injury of six children. Actually, three more also fainted and were admitted to the hospital. They were dehydrated and were administered saline," the Puri SP said.

The girls had waited in a queue for almost two hours before reaching the steps and were treated for dehydration with saline. All nine girls were discharged from the hospital on Tuesday morning and have returned home to the Rasgovindpur area in the Mayurbhanj district.