Stampede After Jagannath Rath Yatra in Puri Leaves 3 Dead, 50 Injured; Top Officials Removed

The mishap took place roughly 3 km from the Jagannath Temple, where a massive crowd had gathered to witness Lord Jagannath’s Nandighosha chariot. As devotees surged forward for a closer glimpse, the lack of crowd control led to panic and chaos, resulting in a deadly stampede.

Chief Minister Apologizes, Top Officials Transferred

Odisha CM Mohan Charan Majhi took to social media to publicly apologize, stating, “On behalf of my government, I sincerely seek forgiveness from the devotees of Lord Jagannath. The negligence is inexcusable.” In response, the state government transferred Puri’s Collector and Superintendent of Police, appointing Chanchal Rana as the new Collector and Pinak Mishra as the new SP. Additionally, the local DCP and a commandant were suspended.

Rath Delay Led to Overcrowding

Traditionally, the chariots of Lord Balabhadra, Devi Subhadra, and Lord Jagannath are stationed outside the Gundicha Temple for a nine-day stay. However, this year, Lord Jagannath’s chariot arrived later than the others, sparking a rush among eager devotees for darshan. The crowd became unmanageable due to insufficient police deployment, according to initial reports.

The deceased have been identified as Basanti Sahu (36), Premkanti Mahanti (78), and Prabhati Das. All three bodies have been kept at Puri Medical College, where most of the injured are also being treated.

Friday Incident Raised Red Flags

Just two days before the stampede, over 625 pilgrims reported health issues due to crowd pressure near Subhadra’s chariot. Seventy individuals were hospitalized on June 27, with nine in critical condition. Despite this warning, crowd control remained lax during the main event.

Massive Turnout at Rath Yatra

The annual Jagannath Rath Yatra began on Friday, June 27, with the pulling of Lord Balabhadra’s chariot, followed by Subhadra and Jagannath’s. On Saturday, the yatra resumed, and by 1:11 PM, Lord Jagannath’s Nandighosha chariot reached Gundicha Temple.

Lakhs of devotees participated, turning Puri into a sea of faith, but the overwhelming crowd ultimately led to disaster due to administrative shortcomings.

History of Stampedes at Rath Yatra

• 2024: Two devotees died, and several were injured during a stampede on July 7, when over 1 million pilgrims gathered for the event.

• 2008: Six devotees lost their lives in a similar incident at Singh Dwar (Lion Gate) as the deities were being brought out for the chariot procession.