A servitor of the Shree Jagannatha Temple in Puri passed away after complaining of chest pain on the temple premises on Wednesday.
The deceased has been identified as Jagannath Mekap, a resident of Dolamandap Sahi in Puri and a Suarbadu servitor at the revered 12th-century shrine.
According to reports, Mekap collapsed while performing his duties during the Dwiprahar Dhoopa ritual of Lord Jagannath and his siblings, Lord Balabhadra and Devi Subhadra, in the afternoon.
Upon complaining of chest pain, fellow servitors and temple officials immediately rushed him to the Puri District Headquarters Hospital (DHH). Unfortunately, he was declared dead on arrival by the attending doctors.
“He has been receiving treatment for the last two years, as we discussed with his family members, due to his heart condition. He was being treated in a CARE Hospitals and unfortunately, during the rituals, he suffered a cardiac arrest. He collapsed, and was immediately admitted to the hospital, but the doctors declared him dead,” said Puri Collector Siddharth Shankar Swain.
