CM Mohan Majhi tenders apology
Puri : Three persons, including two women, were killed and over 50 others injured in a stampede near Shree Gundicha Temple in Odisha’s Puri early Sunday during a ceremony related to the ongoing Rath Yatra festivities, officials said.
The incident took place around 4.20 am when thousands of devotees had gathered near the chariots parked in front of the temple, they said. The injured have been admitted to a nearby hospital where the condition of six people is stated to be critical.
The Gundicha Temple, located around 3km from the 12th century shrine, is the aunt’s house of Lord Jagannath and his siblings Subhadra and Balabhadra.
During Rath Yatra, the deities visit their aunt’s home, stay there for seven days, and then return to their main abode — the Jagannath Temple.
According to the police, chaos ensued after two trucks carrying materials for rituals reportedly entered the crowded spot near the chariots of Lord Jagannath and his sibling deities.
“Thousands of devotees had assembled outside the temple since the early hours to catch a glimpse of the deities when the ‘Pahuda’ (cloth) covering the front portion of the chariots was to be removed, as part of the rituals, the officials said.
The deceased were identified as Basanti Sahu (36) from Bolagarh, and Premakant Mohanty (80) and Pravati Das (42) from Balipatna.
Their bodies have been handed over to family members.
Following the stampede, Chief Minister Mohan Majhi ordered the transfer of district collector Siddharth Shankar Swain and SP Vineet Agrawal.
He also suspended two police officers, DCP Bishnu Pati and Commandant Ajay Padhi, an official release said.
The CM ordered an administrative inquiry into the matter to be carried out under the supervision of the development commissioner.
In another order, senior bureaucrat Saswata Mishra was appointed principal secretary to the CM in addition to his current responsibilities.
The Odisha government will provide financial assistance of Rs 25 lakh each to the next of kin of the deceased, the release added.
Another notification issued by the general administration department stated that senior bureaucrat Aravind Agarwal will be in-charge of Rath Yatra supervision.
Earlier in a post on X, Majhi sought forgiveness from devotees of Lord Jagannath for the stampede, and tendered an apology on behalf of his government for the incident.
He also said that security lapses behind the incident would be probed and those found guilty will face stringent action.
State Law Minister Prithviraj Harichandan said the situation is now normal at the Shree Gundicha Temple, where devotees are offering prayers to the deities.
According to officials, devotees gathered to witness the sacred ‘Pahandi Bije’ of Lord Jagannath and his siblings. During the ritual, known as ‘Adapa Mandap Bije’, the sibling deities were ceremonially taken in a grand procession to the Gundicha Temple.
Puri’s titular king, Gajapati Maharaja Divyasingha Deb, expressed shock over the stampede, and appealed to the state government to carry out a comprehensive inquiry.
The titular king, who is also the chairman of the Shree Jagannath Temple managing committee, also urged the Odisha government to take proper and immediate steps to prevent the recurrence of any such incident.
A host of political leaders, including Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Rahul Gandhi and BJD chief Naveen Patnaik condoled the deaths, with many criticising the state government over arrangements for the Rath Yatra.
