The Commissionerate Police though boasted of tight security arrangement to avert mishap during the Ravan Podi in several prime pandals in the city, Saheed Nagar was a narrow escape for many as a stampede like situation prevailed after some fire crackers exploded on ground instead of in air due to mishandling.
Several persons, who were close by the barricade and witnessing the crackers going off, received burn injury. However, the event was incident-free at Rasulgarh and Nayapalli.
Hundreds of people had taken their space near the Saheed Nagar pandal hours before the Ravan Podi event was to take off on Saturday. There was a huge rush of revellers and every one waited for the final fire play. However, just a few minutes after crackers started bursting, did come rain, virtually dampening the spirit of the people. As the rain continued for about 10-15 minutes people ran helter-skelter to cover their head. However, not everybody could find a roofed space. Many jostled to get inside the makeshift shops which had cloth roofs but they too were not adequate. Many, including women and children, were seen drenching out in the open.
However, after the rains stopped, the crackers that were left unused were fired. A number of them did not catch fire because they were wet. Still there were a few dozens that withstood the rain and burst with great noise and speed. Though the rain had almost slashed the number of visitors by half, yet those who stayed there enjoyed the scene with great excitement. But mishandling of crackers left everybody scared and stunned as they blasted on the ground instead of high in the sky and left people run for safety. “It was almost a stampede like situation. Had there been no rain and the visitors not dispersed, it would have left many injured or even killed as people ran for safety,” said Bikash Mishra, an onlooker.