Stood near site of stampede, unaware of tragedy that had unfolded
Puri: Joining thousands from Bhubaneswar and Cuttack who made it a yearly routine to visit Puri during Rath Yatra to behold the sibling deities on the chariots, me and my friends started from Bhubaneswar at 3am on Sunday.
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We picked the early hours to avoid the midnight rush and have a peaceful darshan of the deities.
Strangely, National Highway 316, connecting Bhubaneswar to Puri, and usually buzzing with devotees during Rath Yatra, had fewer vehicles. It felt unusual, but I guessed that devotees from the twin cities might have started on Saturday night and returned in the early hours of Sunday.
The weather was pleasant as we took the left overbridge towards Konark from Malatipatapur and entered Puri through Balighat Chowk.
By 4:45am, we had reached Puri Bus Stand, close to Gundicha Temple. People were either going towards the chariots or walking back after having a darshan. Many were carrying children in their arms, some of whom had dozed off. There was no sign of panic or distress. Everything seemed calm and normal.
Parking the vehicle at Puri Bus Stand, I caught the first glimpse of the towering chariots. With a heart full of emotion, I walked closer.
There was not much of a crowd. Along the way, I noticed a few devotees sitting quietly on the ground, while others were still asleep on plastic sheets on the cement floor.
What stood out was scattered footwear — chappals and sandals of all shapes and sizes — abandoned in front of the chariots. It struck me as odd, but not alarming. I attempted to jump over a bamboo barricade to take a shortcut to the front side of the chariots.
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A visibly agitated police officer shouted at us, "Can't you walk around? Why are you jumping barricades?" I took this as a sign of irritation and thought he must be tired.
I spent around 20 minutes in front of the chariots, soaking in the divine darshan of the deities. Standing hardly 50 metres away from the Lord of the Universe, I had no idea that just 15-20 minutes before I arrived, a stampede had occurred nearby, between 4:20 and 4:30am, killing three people and injuring several others.
As I made my way back, the scattered chappals again caught my attention. I casually asked my friend why so many were lying around. "Maybe people had just left them behind," she said. Just then, an ambulance passed us with its siren blaring. We paused, sensing a medical emergency, but still didn't grasp the severity of what had happened.
Only after I came out from Puri did I get a notification on my phone that a tragic stampede had happened minutes before our arrival. It sent a chill down the spine. I was lucky and blessed. I cannot thank the Lord enough for His blessings.
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