The Crossbill News Desk
At least three people lost their lives and around 50 others sustained injuries in a stampede near the Shree Gundicha Temple in Puri, Odisha, in the early hours of Sunday, June 29.
The incident occurred around 4 a.m. as a massive crowd gathered for the annual Rath Yatra celebrations.
Puri District Collector Siddharth S. Swain confirmed the deaths and said the injured were rushed to a nearby hospital, where six remain in critical condition.
The deceased have been identified as Basanti Sahu of Bolagarh, and Premakant Mohanty and Pravati Das of Balipatna, according to a report by PTI.
The bodies have been sent for postmortem, and an investigation is currently underway.
The tragedy has intensified criticism of the newly-formed Mohan Majhi-led BJP government over alleged lapses in crowd management during the high-profile religious event.
Just two days prior, on June 27, over 700 devotees were reportedly hospitalised due to a stampede-like situation compounded by heat exhaustion. That day, the Nandighosha chariot—the final chariot in the procession—remained stalled at the Singhadwar (Lions’ Gate) well into the evening, failing to move forward due to the overwhelming crowd.
Former Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, who had earlier warned of poor preparations, took to social media to condemn the handling of the event.
“And now this year, we witnessed Nandighosha ratha still standing at the Singhadwar till 7:45 p.m., only to move a few metres before the day ended. That understandably has left lakhs of devotees who came from all over the world to witness this unique event completely disenchanted and disillusioned. Hundreds of devotees also got injured due to poor crowd management,” Patnaik wrote in a post on X.
He also cited local media reports that accused ministers in the state government of distributing inner cordon entry passes to a large number of supporters, contributing to the delay and congestion.
As investigations continue, the stampede has raised serious concerns over safety protocols during one of India’s most iconic religious festivals.
The incident occurred around 4 a.m. as a massive crowd gathered for the annual Rath Yatra celebrations.
Puri District Collector Siddharth S. Swain confirmed the deaths and said the injured were rushed to a nearby hospital, where six remain in critical condition.
The deceased have been identified as Basanti Sahu of Bolagarh, and Premakant Mohanty and Pravati Das of Balipatna, according to a report by PTI.
The bodies have been sent for postmortem, and an investigation is currently underway.
The tragedy has intensified criticism of the newly-formed Mohan Majhi-led BJP government over alleged lapses in crowd management during the high-profile religious event.
Just two days prior, on June 27, over 700 devotees were reportedly hospitalised due to a stampede-like situation compounded by heat exhaustion. That day, the Nandighosha chariot—the final chariot in the procession—remained stalled at the Singhadwar (Lions’ Gate) well into the evening, failing to move forward due to the overwhelming crowd.
Former Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, who had earlier warned of poor preparations, took to social media to condemn the handling of the event.
“And now this year, we witnessed Nandighosha ratha still standing at the Singhadwar till 7:45 p.m., only to move a few metres before the day ended. That understandably has left lakhs of devotees who came from all over the world to witness this unique event completely disenchanted and disillusioned. Hundreds of devotees also got injured due to poor crowd management,” Patnaik wrote in a post on X.
He also cited local media reports that accused ministers in the state government of distributing inner cordon entry passes to a large number of supporters, contributing to the delay and congestion.
As investigations continue, the stampede has raised serious concerns over safety protocols during one of India’s most iconic religious festivals.
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