Jagannath Rath Yatra stampede: Eye witnesses recall horror; ex-CM Patnaik blames 'incompetence' for deaths

Time of India

4 hours ago

Three devotees died and over 50 others were injured in a deadly stampede near the Gundicha Temple in Puri, Odisha, during the annual Rath Yatra festival on Sunday morning. The incident unfolded between 4 and 5 am as thousands of pilgrims had gathered to witness the rituals when chaos broke out, reportedly due to two ritual trucks entering a congested area.
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3 dead, 50 injured in stampede near Puri's Gundicha Temple
Officials identified the deceased as Premakant Mohanty (80), Basanti Sahoo (36), and Prabhati Das (42). While the situation was later brought under control, the tragedy has drawn sharp criticism over the failure in crowd management, with eyewitnesses blaming poor planning and VIP arrangements for the chaos.
The state government has launched an investigation, and Odisha's Director General of Police (DGP) Y B Khurania was sent to the spot to take stock.
This is the first time such a fatal incident has occurred near the Gundicha Temple during Rath Yatra.
Eyewitness accounts point to chaos and mismanagement
Several eyewitnesses recounted scenes of utter confusion and mismanagement. Swadhin Kumar Panda, a local resident, said, 'I was there near the temple till 23 am last night, but the management was not good. A new way was made for VIPs, and common people were asked to exit from a distance. People started exiting from the entrance itself, which increased the crowd.'
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He added that unauthorised vehicles had entered the restricted zones near the temple, worsening the situation. 'There was no police or administration present at night… The Odisha administration is responsible for this,' he said. Another grieving man who lost his wife in the stampede said no fire, rescue, or hospital officials responded promptly. 'This is a pathetic incident that cannot be expressed,' he said.
Law Minister confirms deaths, promises action
Odisha Law Minister Prithiviraj Harichandan confirmed that three people died due to suffocation and six to seven were seriously injured.
'It is an unfortunate incident. We are taking note of that. I spoke with the CM this morning. We are taking stringent action,' he told ANI, adding that the DGP had been dispatched to the site.
'The situation is now under control and the people are having darshan,' Harichandan said. He stated that additional police had been deployed and an investigation was underway. 'We are trying our best to manage the crowd,' he said, assuring that he was personally monitoring the situation and would take necessary steps to avoid a repeat.
Former CM Patnaik slams 'glaring incompetence'
Former Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik issued a strongly worded statement, criticising the current administration's failure to ensure safety. 'Today's stampede, occurring just a day after the abysmal failure of crowd management during the Rath Yatra that left hundreds injured, exposes the government's glaring incompetence,' he wrote on X.
He also said the initial response came not from officials but from devotees' relatives.
'While I refrain from accusing the government of criminal negligence, their blatant callousness has undeniably contributed to this tragedy,' he said, urging immediate corrective measures for upcoming rituals like Adapa Bije and Bahuda Yatra.
Chariot procession overwhelmed by crowd, trucks blamed
The stampede reportedly began when two trucks carrying ritual materials entered the already packed area near the chariots. Eyewitness Chinmay Patra said, 'The narrow congregation site, combined with limited police presence and scattered palmlog ladders near the chariots, created hazardous conditions for devotees.'
The chariots of Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra, and Goddess Subhadra had reached the Gundicha Temple on Saturday, one day after the Rath Yatra commenced. Local resident Debasis Das said that the pulling of Lord Jagannath's chariot had already faced delays due to crowd pressure. 'Sunday's tragedy was a devastating repeat,' he said.
Health emergency: Hundreds fall ill, 12 in ICU
On Saturday, a day before the stampede, over 750 people reportedly suffered from exhaustion and heatrelated issues due to the massive turnout. Around 230 devotees were admitted to the Infectious Disease Hospital and another 520 to the district headquarters hospital, with 12 admitted to ICU. One critically ill patient was shifted to SCB Medical College in Cuttack.