- Two people fainted during a crowd surge at Shreya Ghoshal's concert in Cuttack
- The incident occurred near barricades separating the stage from the audience area
- Police used mild lathi charge to control an unruly crowd section during the event
Two people fell unconscious at a concert of singer Shreya Ghoshal in Odisha's Cuttack when a stampede-like situation began to develop, the police said.
The incident happened near some barricades that separated the stage from the audience. A large crowd had gathered to see the Bollywood playback singer.
According to eyewitnesses, the crowd became restless even before the concert began. In the chaos, two people, including a woman, fainted. They were immediately taken to a first aid centre and later transferred to a nearby hospital for further treatment.
Police and event organisers responded immediately and deployed additional security personnel to control the crowd and prevent further incidents. The Additional Commissioner of Police arrived at the venue to assess the situation.
Reports said that police used mild lathi-charge to disperse an unruly section of the crowd, with many fainting and requiring immediate hospital attention. No serious injuries or fatalities have been confirmed at the event that highlighted potential lapses in crowd management.
"There was no such unpleasant situation. It is true that there was a huge crowd, but we managed it properly. One person sustained a minor injury and is stable," Commissioner of Police S Dev Datta Singh told news agency PTI.
The Bali Yatra, which ran from November 5 to 13, featured cultural programmes, trade stalls, and celebrity appearances, drawing millions of visitors to commemorate the state's seafaring past through the symbolic "Boita Bandana" ritual.
(With inputs from Dev Kumar Ghosh)
