As devotees thronged for darshan, chaos broke out near the holy chariots. Police preparedness is under fire, and political leaders are trading blame.BY PC Burea
New Delhi: June 29: Three people, including two women, lost their lives and at least 10 others were injured in a stampede during the Rath Yatra in Odisha’s Puri on Saturday. The incident occurred near the Shree Gundicha Temple, around three kilometres from the Jagannath Temple, as massive crowds gathered for a glimpse of the deities.
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The stampede broke out around 4:30 am when the three ceremonial chariots carrying Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra, and Goddess Subhadra reached the Gundicha temple. Amid an overwhelming rush of devotees, some people fell, triggering a stampede. The deceased have been identified as Prabhati Das, Basanti Sahu, and 70-year-old Premakant Mohanty—all residents of Khurda district who had travelled to Puri for the sacred procession.
Reports from local media pointed to inadequate crowd control by the police, and some of the injured remain in critical condition. Puri Collector Siddharth Shankar Swain said the bodies have been sent for post-mortem to determine the precise cause of death. He added that although security arrangements were in place, the surge of devotees became unmanageable.
3 DEAD in PURI STAMPEDE
Rath Yatra turns deadly at Gundicha Temple.
Trucks entered packed crowd. Chaos. Crush. Collapse.
Govt orders inquiry — but where was crowd control?#Puri #RathYatra #Stampede #Odisha #JagannathRathYatra pic.twitter.com/j79GtNdw7g
— Deepti Sachdeva (@DeeptiSachdeva_) June 29, 2025
The Rath Yatra is a centuries-old annual procession in which the three deities are pulled in elaborately decorated chariots to the Gundicha Temple, where they stay for a week before returning to the Jagannath Temple.
The tragedy has sparked a political row. Former Chief Minister and BJD chief Naveen Patnaik called the situation a “terrible mess.” “All we can do is pray. May Mahaprabhu Jagannath forgive those responsible for this shameful mishandling of a divine festival,” he said.
Responding to the criticism, Odisha Law Minister Prithiviraj Harichandan accused the BJD of politicising the issue. Without naming Patnaik, he said, “The BJD should remember its own history of mismanagement. Since 1977, the chariots have always reached the Gundicha Temple on the second day.”
