3 Dead, 10 Injured In Stampede During Jagannath Rath Yatra In Odisha’s Puri

Three persons, two of them women, died and 10 others were injured in a stampede during the Rath Yatra in Odisha’s Puri. The incident occurred when the three Raths carrying idols of Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra and Goddess Shubhadra were near Shree Gundicha Temple, about three kilometres from Jagannath temple, where the Yatra began.

Around 4.30 am today, the holy chariots were at the Gundicha temple and a large crowd had gathered for a darshan. As the crowd swelled, some people fell and a stampede began. Three people died on the spot. These include two women, Prabhati Das and Basanti Sahu, and 70-year-old Premakant Mohanty. All three, it is learnt, are from Khurda district and had come to Puri for the Rath Yatra.

Local media reported that the police’s arrangement for crowd control at the spot was inadequate. The condition of some of those injured is critical, according to reports.

Puri Collector Siddharth Shankar Swain said the bodies of the victims had been sent for autopsy and the examination would reveal the exact cause of death. He said adequate security arrangements were in place, but the crowd suddenly went out of control, leading to the tragedy. 

During Rath Yatra, three grand chariots with the idols of Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra and Goddess Shubhadra are drawn by a massive crowd of devotees. The holy chariots are taken to the Gundicha Temple. The three deities spend a week there before returning to the Jagannath Temple.

A political row has, meanwhile, broken out over a delay in starting the Rath Yatra this time. BJD chief and former Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik described it as a “terrible mess”. “All we can do is pray. May Mahaprabhu Jagannath forgive all those responsible for the terrible mess that has overshadowed this divine festival this year,” he said.

Odisha Law Minister Prithiviraj Harichandan did not name Mr Patnaik, but criticised the BJD for making “political statements”. “In the past, the BJD government made mistakes and insulted Lord Jagannath. Since 1977, the chariots have always reached the Gundicha Temple on the second day,” he said.

With Inputs From Dev Kumar Ghosh