At least three people were killed and more than 50 others injured in a stampede-like incident outside the Gundicha Temple in Puri, Odisha, early Sunday morning. Hundreds of thousands of devotees have gathered in Puri for the annual Rath Yatra Festival.
The incident occurred around 4-4:20 am on Saradhabali when a vehicle carrying ritual materials reportedly entered the crowd. Eyewitnesses alleged there were no adequate police arrangements or officials on-site to manage the swelling number of pilgrims.
Hospital officials said some of the injured were discharged after receiving primary treatment, while others remain hospitalised with serious injuries. Officials confirmed that women were among the dead but said the identities of the victims were still being verified.
Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, while expressing his condolences, said that the “negligence was unpardonable”. “This negligence is unpardonable. An immediate investigation into the security lapses will be conducted, and I have directed that necessary steps be taken to initiate exemplary action against those responsible,” the CM wrote on X.
Hours after the stampede, the state government ordered an administrative probe headed by development commissioner Anu Garg and transferred Puri collector Siddharth Shankar Swain and SP Vinit Agarwal.
Chanchal Rana has been posted as the new collector, while Pinak Mishra, who earlier served as SP, has replaced Agarwal. The state government also suspended two senior police officers for “dereliction in duty.”
The government has also announced an ex-gratia of Rs 25 lakh for the kin of the deceased.
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Odisha Law Minister Prithiviraj Harichandan had said he had briefed CM Majhi about the incident. “Strict action will be taken against those responsible,” Harichandan said.
“According to initial reports by the officials who were at the spot, there was a sudden surge in crowd when the darshan started. The condition of the injured patients is stable,” Siddharth Shankar Swain had told reporters earlier in the day.
Reacting to the incident, Odisha’s Leader of Opposition and former chief minister Naveen Patnaik hit out at the BJP-led state government, saying, “Today’s stampede, occurring just a day after the abysmal failure of crowd management during the #RathYatra that left hundreds injured, exposes the government’s glaring incompetence in ensuring a peaceful festival for devotees.”
He further wrote on social media platform X: “Eyewitnesses report that the initial response to this horrific tragedy came from the devotees’ relatives, with no government machinery present to manage the surging crowds, highlighting a shocking lapse in duty. The inordinate delay in pulling the Nandighosha chariot on Rath Yatra day was conveniently attributed to ‘Mahaprabhu’s wish’, a shocking excuse that masks the administration’s complete abdication of responsibility.”
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Earlier in the day, Vinit Agarwal had ruled out allegations of the police not being present at the site. “Deployment was as per requirement,” he had said. Odisha DGP Y B Khurania also rushed to the spot following the incident and held meeting with senior officers. He said that a probe is being conducted.
As part of the annual Rath Yatra, the chariots of the three principal deities reached Saradhabali on Saturday. The ceremonial procession to the Gundicha Temple is scheduled for Sunday evening.
