Jagannath Rath Yatra: 3 killed, several injured in stampede near Gundicha temple In O
Jagannath Rath Yatra: 3 killed, several injured in stampede near Gundicha temple In Odisha's Puri
M.U.H
29/06/202526
Three devotees, including two women, were killed and over 50 were injured early Sunday morning in a stampede at the Saradhabali area, near Gundicha Temple in Puri.
Police have identified the deceased as Basanti Sahu (36) from Bolagarh, Premakant Mohanty, and Pravati Das from Balipatna in Bhubaneswar.
Puri district collector Siddharth Swain said, "Three people were killed and six people were injured."
According to eyewitnesses, around 4 am, two trucks loaded with Charamala wood (considered sacred) entered the Saradhabali area near the Gundicha Temple, 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.
Odisha law minister Prithviraj Harichandan said the state government will conduct a thorough probe into the incident. “Strict action will be taken after the investigation. The chief minister has been informed,” he added. Director general of police (DGP) Y.B. Khurania, along with other senior police officers, has visited the spot.
“People just fell over each other in a matter of seconds and many fell unconscious. I rushed to the information centre seeking help, but they could not do anything. Even the ambulance was stationed at least a kilometre away,” an eyewitness said.
“Usually, the gates are not closed after the deities reach the Gundicha temple on chariots. This year for no reason, they stopped it after midnight and it led to a surge in the crowd who were anxious to see the Lord,” said another eyewitness.
Meanwhile, over 700 devotees were hospitalised with complaints of suffocation and nausea following a stampede-like situation on Friday during the pulling of chariots. Amid the chaos, none of the three chariots could be pulled even halfway from the Jagannath Temple to the Gundicha Temple.
Odisha chief minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Sunday ordered the suspension of Puri DCP Bishnu Charan Pati and Police Commandant Ajay Padhi, following a stampede during Jagannath Rath Yatra, which left at least three people dead.
The stampede occurred at 4 am early Sunday, when several devotees were waiting near the Gundicha Temple for the unveiling of the three deities on the chariots.
Mohan Charan Majhi expressed his condolences over the mishap and said the incident unfolded because of the 'jostling and chaos.'
"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," Majhi said in a post on X.
The chief minister also ordered the transfer of District Collector Siddharth Shankar Swain and SP Vineet Agrawal. He further said that an investigation will be conducted into the security lapse and action will be taken against those responsible.
Meanwhile, Odisha Director General of Police (DGP) YB Khurania said an investigation has been initiated into the Sunday morning stampede, which took place near the Gundicha Temple in Puri.
The annual yatra, which commenced on Friday, attracted more devotees this year than in previous years, according to news agency PTI.
The chaos erupted after two trucks carrying materials for rituals reportedly entered the crowded spot near the chariots of Lord Jagannath and his sibling deities.
During the annual Jagannath Rath Yatra, a massive crowd of devotees pull the holy chariots of the three deities - Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra and Goddess Shubhadra - to the Gundicha Temple, a short distance from the Jagannath Temple.
The three deities spend a week at the Gundicha Temple before returning to Jagannath Temple.
