In Odisha, more than 20 priests and some devotees have been injured at Puri today due to lathicharge by police to control the swelling crowd of devotees atop “Nandighosh”, the chariot of Lord Jagannath. The incident took place during the “Abakash” ritual of Lord Jagannath as a large number of devotees climbed atop “Nandighosh” and jostled for a glimpse of the deity. Public 'darshan' atop the three chariots came to a standstill following the incident and priests stopped the rituals briefly before the “Pahandi” of deities into Gundicha temple. However, some of the rituals have resumed after intervention of the district, temple and police administration, while priests demanded stern action against the guilty policemen. Discussion with the priests by the Puri district administration is on to complete all the rituals of the lords. Meanwhile, Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has ordered an inquiry into the incident and said stern action would be taken against the guilty.