Holi Celebrations turn sour for Hundreds of People in Odisha

At least 23 people died and over 90 people were injured or fell sick during the Holi celebrations in Odisha. Most deaths were caused by drowning or road accidents, while some others got killed and injured in violent clashes.

It’s a common trend in Odisha for a section of people to get drunk or take drug (ganja or bhang) during Holi. That is the reason why people met with accidents or get drowned while taking baths. In some cases, the over excitement among the students also lead to unfortunate incidents.

The drowning cases were reported from Puri, Khordha, Sambalpur, Jajpur, Bhadrak and Cuttack districts. Most of the road mishap cases were reported from Dhenkanal-Angul-Jajpur belt. Several people were admitted to hospitals in twin cities – Bhubaneswar and Cuttack.

Not surprisingly, police patrol was almost non-existent during Holi, as most cops preferred to be with family and friends to celebrate the festival. Their absence added to the woes of common people, as hooligans had a free run in the state capital during the Holi celebrations.