3 killed, 50 injured in Puri Rath Yatra stampede; Dist Collector, SP shifted

At least three persons, including two women, were killed and around 50 injured in a stampede near Shree Gundicha Temple in Odisha’s Puri on Sunday morning. The incident occurred during a ceremony related to the ongoing Rath Yatra festivities around 4.20 am, officials said.

The injured have been admitted to a nearby hospital. The condition of six persons is stated to be critical.

The Gundicha Temple, located around 3 km away from the 12th century shrine, is the aunt’s house of Lord Jagannath and his siblings Subhadra and Balabhadra.

During the Rath Yatra, the deities visit their aunt’s home, stay there for seven days, and then return to their main abode — the Jagannath Temple.

According to the police, chaos ensued after two trucks carrying materials for rituals reportedly entered the crowded spot near the chariots of Lord Jagannath and his sibling deities. The deities were seated on the chariots when the stampede took place.

“Thousands of devotees had assembled outside the temple since the early hours to catch a glimpse of the deities when the ‘Pahuda' (cloth) covering the front portion of the chariots was to be removed, as part of the rituals,” the officials said.

The deceased were identified as Basanti Sahu (36) from Bolagarh, and Premakant Mohanty (80) and Pravati Das (42) from Balipatna.

Their bodies have been handed over to family members, and the cremation will take place at “Swargadwar” in Puri.

In a punitive measure following the stampede, Chief Minister Mohan Majhi ordered the transfer of District Collector Siddharth Shankar Swain and SP Vineet Agrawal. Majhi also announced the suspension of two police officers, DCP Bishnu Pati and Commandant Ajay Padhi.

The CM ordered an administrative inquiry into the matter to be carried out under the supervision of the development commissioner.

In another order, senior bureaucrat Saswata Mishra was appointed Principal Secretary to the CM in addition to his current responsibilities.

The 1996-batch IAS officer is presently posted as Principal Secretary in the Finance Department with additional charge of the Chairman, IDCO.

The Odisha Government will provide Rs 25-lakh financial assistance each to the next of kin of the deceased.

Another notification issued by the General Administration Department said senior bureaucrat Aravind Agarwal had been appointed in-charge of the overall supervision of the Rath Yatra.

Earlier in a post on X, Majhi sought forgiveness from devotees of Lord Jagannath for the stampede, and tendered an apology on behalf of his government for the incident.

“Due to intense eagerness among devotees to have a glimpse of Mahaprabhu... an unfortunate incident occurred because of jostling and chaos. I and my government seek forgiveness from all Jagannath devotees. We express our condolences to the families of devotees who lost their lives... pray to Mahaprabhu Jagannath to grant them the strength to bear this profound sorrow,” Majhi said.

He said the security lapses behind the incident would be probed and those found guilty would face stringent action.

State Law Minister Prithviraj Harichandan said the situation was now normal at the Shree Gundicha Temple, where devotees were offering prayers to the deities.

Several political leaders, including Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Rahul Gandhi and BJD chief Naveen Patnaik have condoled the deaths, with many criticising the state government over arrangements for the Rath Yatra.

Kharge said he was deeply pained by the stampede and asserted that the “negligence and mismanagement” that led to the tragedy were inexcusable.

In a post on X, Gandhi described the Puri temple stampede as “extremely tragic”, and urged the Odisha Government to expedite relief efforts.

Union minister and BJP leader Dharmendra Pradhan said in West Bengal’s Panihati that those supervising the management of the Rath Yatra should have made better arrangements.

BJD chief and Leader of the Opposition in the Odisha Assembly Naveen Patnaik claimed the stampede exposed the state government’s glaring incompetence in ensuring a peaceful Rath Yatra for devotees.

“While I refrain from accusing the government of criminal negligence, their blatant callousness has undeniably contributed to this tragedy,” added Patnaik.

The chariots of Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra and Devi Subhadra had reached Shree Gundicha Temple on Saturday, a day after the Rath Yatra began in Puri. The return journey, known as “Bahuda Yatra”, would be held on July 5.