A tragic stampede near the Gundicha Temple in Puri, Odisha, during the annual Lord Jagannath Rath Yatra has claimed the lives of three devotees and left over 50 others injured. The incident, which occurred early Sunday morning around 4:00–4:30 AM at Saradhabali, has cast a shadow over one of India’s most revered religious festivals, raising serious concerns about crowd management and safety measures.
The Rath Yatra, a centuries-old tradition, draws millions of pilgrims to Puri as the grand chariots of Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra, and Goddess Subhadra are pulled from the Jagannath Temple to the Gundicha Temple, approximately three kilometers away. On Saturday, the chariots reached Saradhabali, and by early Sunday, thousands had gathered for darshan when the deities’ “pahuda” (resting period) concluded, reopening the area to the public. Eyewitnesses report that chaos erupted when two trucks carrying ceremonial materials, including sacred Charamala wood, entered the already congested area, triggering a panic-fueled stampede.
The victims, identified as Prativa Das (52), Premakanta Mohanty (78), and Basanti Sahu (42), all from Khurda district, were pronounced dead at the scene. Six of the injured remain in critical condition at Puri District Hospital, where others are receiving treatment. Eyewitnesses described scenes of devotees falling over each other, with inadequate police presence and poorly managed entry and exit points exacerbating the situation. One local resident, Swadhin Kumar Panda, noted that a separate entry for VIPs and unauthorized vehicles entering restricted zones worsened the overcrowding. “The management was not good,” he said, highlighting the lack of real-time oversight by authorities.
Former Odisha Chief Minister and BJD President Naveen Patnaik sharply criticized the state government, calling the incident a “glaring failure” in ensuring a safe and orderly festival. In a post on X, Patnaik stated, “Today’s stampede, occurring just a day after the abysmal failure of crowd management during the #RathYatra that left hundreds injured, exposes the government’s glaring incompetence in ensuring a peaceful festival for devotees.” He extended condolences to the victims’ families and prayed for the swift recovery of the injured.
Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi described the negligence as “unpardonable” and ordered a high-level inquiry into the incident. Law Minister Prithiviraj Harichandan assured that strict action would be taken against those responsible, with Odisha’s Director General of Police, YB Khurania, dispatched to assess the situation. Despite the deployment of nearly 10,000 police personnel, including AI-enabled cameras and drone surveillance, the massive turnout—estimated at 10 to 15 lakh devotees—overwhelmed preparations.
This tragedy follows reports of crowd-related issues earlier in the festival. On Friday, June 27, over 750 devotees were hospitalized due to heatstroke and exhaustion, with 12 admitted to intensive care, underscoring ongoing challenges in managing the unprecedented turnout this year.
Local residents and eyewitnesses have called for better planning, including stronger barricading, clear entry and exit pathways, and real-time crowd monitoring to prevent such incidents in the future. “The narrow congregation site, combined with limited police presence and scattered palmlog ladders near the chariots, created hazardous conditions,” said Chinmay Patra, an eyewitness.
As the Rath Yatra continues, with the deities set to remain at the Gundicha Temple for a week before returning to the Jagannath Temple on July 1, the focus has shifted to ensuring accountability and preventing further loss of life. The Odisha government faces mounting pressure to address these lapses and restore faith in the safety of this sacred celebration.
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