A stampede during the Jagannath Rath Yatra in Odisha’s Puri claimed three lives and left at least 50 others injured on Sunday, triggering serious concerns over crowd management during one of the country’s most iconic religious festivals.
The tragedy occurred around 4.30 am near the Gundicha Temple, roughly three kilometres from the main Jagannath Temple, as thousands of devotees surged forward to catch a glimpse of the three ceremonial chariots bearing the idols of Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra and Goddess Subhadra.
In the ensuing chaos, several people fell and were trampled. Three devotees, two women, Prabhati Das and Basanti Sahu, and a 70-year-old man, Premakant Mohanty, died at the spot. All were residents of Khurda district and had travelled to Puri for the festival.
While 10 others sustained injuries in the stampede, local reports suggest that the condition of some remains critical.
Crowd control arrangements at the site have come under sharp criticism, with local media describing the police presence as inadequate given the scale of footfall anticipated during the pulling of the Raths.
Also read: Over 600 injured in Puri as crowd surges during Rath Yatra
Surge of devotees injured day before
The fatalities came just a day after more than 600 devotees were injured in a similar surge during the pulling of the Taladhwaja chariot, dedicated to Lord Balabhadra, on Grand Road outside the Jagannath Temple.
The crowd, jostling to grasp the sacred ropes, swelled to unmanageable levels amid intense humidity. A sudden forward push triggered a wave of falls and fainting episodes, many of which required immediate medical attention.
Sources said 581 injured devotees were admitted to the High-Tech Hospital, 173 to the High Dependency Unit (HDU), and 68 received treatment in the out-patient department. Eight devotees in critical condition were transferred to the District Headquarters Hospital.
The back-to-back incidents have sparked concern over public safety at large religious gatherings and prompted calls for better logistical preparedness. While the pulling of the chariots remains an emotionally charged ritual central to the Rath Yatra, authorities may now be forced to review traditional arrangements in light of the growing scale of participation.
The Rath Yatra is a centuries-old celebration that draws lakhs of pilgrims from across India and abroad. The procession marks the symbolic journey of the deities from their sanctum in the Jagannath Temple to the Gundicha Temple, roughly 2.5 kilometres away.
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