Biden falls on stage during Air Force Academy event, WH says 'he's fine'

 After handing out diplomas during a graduation event at the US Air Force Academy in Colorado, President Joe Biden tripped on a sandbag and fell on stage, but the White House says "he's fine".

At the event on Thursday, Biden, who is the country's oldest serving President at 80, had been standing for about an hour and a half to shake hands with each of the 921 graduating cadets, reports the BBC.

The stumble began as Biden was jogging away from centre stage. As he was moving toward his seat, he tripped, falling to the ground.

The president landed on his right hip before lifting himself up on his right hand, CNN reported.

A group of men, including an official with the Air Force Academy and two Secret Service agents, grasped onto Biden's arms to help him back to his feet.

Footage of the incident showed the President appearing to point at one of two sandbags used to prop up his teleprompter as he was helped up by an Air Force official and two members of his Secret Service detail.

He was seen walking back to his seat unassisted and later jogging back to his motorcade when the ceremony ended shortly after the accident.

Addressing reporters after stepping off Marine One Thursday evening, the President joked and said, "I got sandbagged".

"He's fine. There was a sandbag on stage while he was shaking hands," White House Communications Director Ben LaBolt wrote on Twitter.

At a regular press conference later in the day, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre further assured that Biden was feeling "totally fine" and had boarded the plane flashing "a big smile".

Meanwhile, Biden's predecessor Donald Trump reacted to the incident said said that "the whole thing is crazy".

"I hope he wasn't hurt... That's not inspiring," the BBC quoted Trump as saying from a campaign event in Iowa.

"You got to be careful about that because you don't -- you don't want that. Even if you have to tip toe down the ramp," Trump said, apparently referring to his own careful walk off a stage that made headlines in 2020.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis also reacted to the fall during a campaign event in New Hampshire, saying: "We hope and wish Joe Biden a swift recovery from any injuries he may have sustained.

"But we also wish the United States of America a swift recovery from the injuries it has sustained because of Joe Biden and his policies."

Biden has had previous stumbles in public, including falling to the ground during a bike ride last year in Delaware and he was also been seen slipping on the stairs as he boards Air Force One, reports CNN.

Despite those incidents, Biden's doctor has said is physically fit to serve in office. I

n recent physicals, Biden's doctor has examined the President's stiff gait, determining it was a result of "wear and tear" changes on Biden's spine.

The most recent physical determined the condition was unchanged, albeit with "possibly tighter hamstrings and calves".

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Superstition or supernatural! When ‘Goddess’ descends upon earth and ‘possesses’ this man in Odisha

 Despite the ravages of time, possession by local Gods and making prophecies from a trance-like state continue to be a feature of villages. Such a phenomenon, while not uncommon in the rather rural parts of our State, this particular instance from the coastal Odisha district of Puri has caught the attention of people.

Pratap Bhoi from Jamara village in Puri’s Gop block turns ‘Kalishi’ every Tuesday as he claims Goddess Mangala possesses his body on that day. He wears garlands made of red hibiscus, gulps down fire, walks on fire, and sets up his ‘darbar’ at the village.

Many people throng him for solutions to their problems which range from health to family and business. They believe Pratap can solve any problem during this time as he turns Goddess Mangala herself.

My daughter could not conceive for 16 years. After she took the blessings of Kalishi, my daughter delivered a baby girl. This institution is far better than medical,” said an elderly local woman Ashalata Nayak.

The person who gets possessed, the “Kalishi”, is often bestowed with respect, as a rule. Though Kalishis say they can’t recall anything from the period they went into trance.

Asked about his so-called possession by the Goddess, Pratap told OTV, “I have been worshipping Maa Mangala since my childhood. When I was in class 9, I first experienced possession. And since then, I have been serving the people.”

For folklorists, possession is a basic aspect of all folk religious practices though the deities may vary and stories about them may differ. Experts say that in “institutionalized” religion, the God or Goddess interacts with the devotees through a priest. For hundreds, if not thousands, of years, these folk temples and religious practices have co-existed with institutionalized religion.

However, the rationalists term it superstition and even have been urging the government to stop this practice which can turn dangerous if allowed to go on.

A rationalist, Debendra Sutar said, “There are a lot of such Kalishi’s prevailing in almost every other village in Odisha. They are even attempting to treat people suffering from serious ailments which is dangerous.”

“There are even examples when people believe these kalishis and go on to kill their adversaries taking their words as true and Godsend. The government should intervene and stop this nonsense from polluting our society,” Sutar added.

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