Puri Rath Yatra stampede: 3 devotees killed, 10 injured
What's the story
A tragic stampede during the annual Jagannath Rath Yatra in Puri, Odisha, left three devotees dead and 10 others injured. The incident occurred near the Shri Gundicha Temple around 4:30am on Sunday when a huge crowd of devotees had gathered to have darshan of the deity. As the crowd swelled, some people fell, and a stampede began.
Investigation progress
Bodies sent for postmortem examination
The deceased have been identified as Basanti Sahu from Bolagarh in Khorda district, Premakant Mohanty, and Prabhati Das from Athantara village under Balianta block. Their bodies have been sent for postmortem examination. Puri District Collector Siddharth S Swain confirmed that six of the injured are in critical condition and are being treated at a nearby hospital. An investigation is currently underway to determine the exact cause of the incident.
Official response
Law Minister announces high-level inquiry
Odisha Law Minister Prithiviraj Harichandan expressed his condolences and announced a high-level inquiry into the incident. He stated that the tragedy involving three deaths has deeply saddened the authorities and assured that a thorough investigation would be conducted, with appropriate action taken against those whose negligence led to the unfortunate incident. Local media reports indicated that police arrangements for crowd control were inadequate at the time of the stampede.
Public outrage
'The administration did not control the crowd properly'
Swadhin Kumar Panda, a resident of Puri, criticized the management for not controlling the crowd effectively. He said that a new way was made for VIPs while common people were asked to exit from a distance. "The administration did not control the crowd properly," he added. The incident has raised fresh concerns over crowd management during major religious gatherings in Odisha.
Festival turnout
Over 10 lakh devotees attended the event on Friday
The two-day Rath Yatra celebrations drew over 10 lakh devotees, with many falling sick due to the crowd pressure. On Friday, over 10 lakh devotees attended the event, leading to massive crowd pressure and around 625 people falling sick near Devi Subhadra's chariot by late evening. Despite a 10-20% drop in crowd size on Saturday, more than 650 devotees fell ill over the past 24 hours.
Road accident
In another incident, 3 women run over by bus
In a separate incident, three young women were killed when they were run over by a bus while heading to participate in Rath Yatra celebrations. The accident took place near Pipili over a bridge when their two-wheeler was hit by a motorcycle, causing them to fall under the wheels of a government bus. Two died on the spot, and one succumbed to her injuries en route to the community health centre.
Twitter Post
Resident's interview by ANI
#WATCH | Puri, Odisha: Swadhin Kumar Panda, a resident of Puri, says, "I was there near the temple till 2-3 am last night, but the management was not good. A new way was made for VIPs, and common people were asked to exit from a distance. People started exiting from the entrance… https://t.co/jFE36gLDfu pic.twitter.com/6Ln6348Eoy
— ANI (@ANI) June 29, 2025