Probe into Puri Rath Yatra stampede will be completed within 30 days: Odisha law minister
Odisha's law minister Prithiviraj Harichandan announced on Sunday that the administrative probe into the Puri stampede, which resulted in three deaths and left 50 people injured, will be concluded within 30 days. Odisha Chief Minister expressed condolences over the incident and said that it happened because of the 'jostling and chaos.'(AP)
The stampede occurred on early Sunday morning at 1 am when several devotees were waiting near the Gundicha Temple for the unveiling of the three deities on the chariots amid the ongoing Rath Yatra festivities in the region.
Those killed have been identified as Basanti Sahu (36) from Bolagarh, Premakant Mohanty, and Pravati Das from Balipatna in Bhubaneswar.
'The state government will take stern action against those responsible for the tragic incident,' PTI quoted the law minister as saying. He said that Development Commissioner Anu Garg will submit her inquiry report to the chief minister within 30 days.
Also read: Jagannath Yatra stampede: 2 top officials transferred; Odisha CM apologises after 3 killed | Key updates
According to Puri's Chief District Medical Officer (CDMO) Kishore Satapathy, all the people who got injured during the stampede were discharged from a government health facility by 8 pm, PTI reported.
'All the injured have been discharged from a hospital after asserting their health condition. All are now stable,' he said. What Odisha's chief minister said
Odisha chief minister Mohan Charan Majhi took stern action after the stampede and suspended Puri DCP Bishnu Charan Pati and Police Commandant Ajay Padhi on Sunday.
He also expressed his condolences over the incident and said that it happened because of the 'jostling and chaos.'
Also read: 'No one responded,' says victim's husband after Jagannath Rath Yatra stampede kills 3
In a post on X, Majhi wrote, "Due to the intense eagerness among devotees to have a glimpse of Mahaprabhu at Sharadhabali, an unfortunate incident occurred because of the resulting jostling and chaos. Personally, my government and I seek forgiveness from all Jagannath devotees. We express our condolences to the families of those devotees whose lives were lost at Sharadhabali and pray to Mahaprabhu Jagannath to grant them the strength to bear this profound sorrow.'
According to eyewitnesses, the stampede broke out after two trucks loaded with Charamala wood (considered sacred) entered the Saradhabali area near the Gundicha Temple at 4 am, about 3 km from the main Jagannath Temple, where over 1,500 devotees were seated, waiting for the deities in the chariots to be unveiled to the public. The unexpected arrival of the trucks caused chaos.
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