Puri Temple Stampede: At least three devotees were killed in a stampede near the Gundicha Temple in Puri during the annual Jagannath Rath Yatra early Sunday morning. Following the incident, Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi ordered the suspension of two senior police officers and the transfer of key district officials. The stampede occurred around 4 a.m. when a large number of devotees gathered near the temple to witness the unveiling of the three deities on their chariots. Chaos reportedly broke out after two trucks carrying ritual materials entered the crowded area near the chariots of Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra and Goddess Subhadra.
Chief Minister Majhi expressed his grief and extended condolences to the families of the victims. “Due to the intense eagerness among devotees to have a glimpse of Mahaprabhu at Sharadhabali, an unfortunate incident occurred because of the resulting jostling and chaos,” he said in a post on social media. “Personally, my government and I seek forgiveness from all Jagannath devotees.”
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The Chief Minister announced the suspension of Puri Deputy Commissioner of Police Bishnu Charan Pati and Police Commandant Ajay Padhi. The CM has ordered a detailed administrative inquiry under the supervision of the Development Commissioner and instructed the transfer of the District Collector Siddharth Shankar Swain and Superintendent of Police Vineet Agrawal. Chanchal Rana has been appointed as the new District Collector, while Pinak Mishra has taken charge as the new SP. Odisha CM also announced financial assistance of Rs 25 lakh for the next of kin of each deceased devotee.
During the Rath Yatra, thousands of devotees pull the three chariots carrying the deities from the Jagannath Temple to the Gundicha Temple. The deities stay at the Gundicha Temple for a week before returning to the main temple.