Jagannath Rath Yatra Turns Fatal: Stampede Kills 3 in Puri
During the Rath Yatra in Odisha’s Puri, three people lost their lives—two of them women—and ten others sustained injuries in a stampede. The incident took place when the three Raths bearing idols of Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra, and Goddess Shubhadra were close to Shree Gundicha Temple, approximately three kilometers from where the Yatra commenced at Jagannath temple.
Today at about 4:30 a.m., the holy chariots arrived at the Gundicha temple, where a sizable crowd had assembled for a darshan. With the crowd increasing in size, a few individuals went down and a stampede started. Three individuals died instantly. This includes two women, Prabhati Das and Basanti Sahu, along with 70-year-old Premakant Mohanty. It has been discovered that all three hail from the Khurda district and had arrived in Puri for the Rath Yatra.
According to reports from local media, the police’s measures for controlling the crowd at that location fell short. Reports indicate that the condition of some of the injured is critical.
The victims’ bodies have been sent for autopsy, according to Puri Collector Siddharth Shankar Swain, who stated that the examination would determine the precise cause of death. He stated that sufficient security measures were established, yet the crowd unexpectedly spiraled out of control, resulting in the tragedy.
During Rath Yatra, a large throng of devotees pulls three magnificent chariots containing the idols of Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra, and Goddess Shubhadra. The sacred chariots are brought to the Gundicha Temple. There, the three deities spend a week before they return to the Jagannath Temple.
Naveen Patnaik, the BJD chief and former Chief Minister, expressed his condolences and stated that the stampede reveals the state government’s “glaring incompetence in ensuring a peaceful festival”.
I offer my sincere sympathies to the families of the three devotees who lost their lives in the tragic stampede at Saradhabali, #Puri. I also pray to Mahaprabhu Jagannatha for the quick recovery of those injured in this devastating event.
The stampede today, happening merely a day after the disastrous crowd management during the #RathYatra that resulted in hundreds of injuries, highlights the government’s obvious ineptitude in providing a peaceful festival for devotees. He stated, “According to eyewitnesses, the first responders to this dreadful calamity were the devotees’ family members, as there was no governmental apparatus on hand to control the throngs of people. This underscores a shocking failure in responsibility.”
I abstain from blaming the government for criminal negligence, but their obvious indifference has certainly played a role in this tragedy. Mr. Patnaik called on the government to take urgent corrective action to guarantee the smooth execution of essential RathYatra rituals such as Adapa Bije, Bahuda, and Suna Besha.
Union Minister and BJP’s prominent figure in Odisha, Dharmendra Pradhan, mentioned that he has discussed the stampede with Chief Minister Mohan Charan Manjhi. He has assumed responsibility for the incident. He has guaranteed that he will take the necessary steps regarding this issue,” he stated.