Gundlupet: Tragedy struck during Sri Kshetra Skandagiri Parvathamba Rathotsava, when the wheels of the chariot carrying the idol of the presiding deity ran over devotees killing three of them yesterday.

The deceased have been identified as Sarpabhushan (25), son of Basavanna of Kandegala village, Swamy (35) of Kabbahalli village and Karinayaka (45) of Kodasoge village.

As thousands of devotees from various places had come to witness the Rathotsava, which was not held for two years due to COVID pandemic, devotees began pushing each other when the chariot was being pulled. Sarpabhushan, Karinayaka and Swamy, who were in front of the chariot, fell down and the wheels of the chariot ran over them injuring them seriously. All the three were rushed to Gundlupet General Hospital, where Sarpabhushan succumbed to injuries and Swamy was shifted to a Hospital in Mysuru, where he breathed his last yesterday evening. Karinayaka, who was undergoing treatment and said to be critical, also succumbed to injuries yesterday late night at the hospital.

MLA C.S. Niranjan Kumar and Congress leader H.M. Ganesh Prasad visited the family members of the deceased and offered their condolences.

Yesterday morning, a team of Priests led by Chamarajanagar’s Sri Chamarajeshwara Swamy Temple Chief Priest Nagaraja Dikshit, decorated the main idol and the idol of the presiding deity with various flowers and offered special puja to the idols.

At 11 am, Tahsildar C.J. Ravishankar launched the Rathotsava and the chariot carrying the idol of presiding deity of Goddess Parvathi and the idol of Trisomeshwara moved forward, the devotees, who had gathered in a very large number, hailed the God and the Goddess.

Police had a tough time regulating the traffic as devotees were arriving in their vehicles to witness the Rathotsava.

MLA C.S. Niranjan Kumar and others also had the darshan of the presiding deity.