Puri, June 29: In a heart-wrenching incident, at least three devotees lost their lives, and several others were injured in a stampede near the Gundicha temple in Odisha’s Puri during the ongoing Rath Yatra 2025 early Sunday morning.
The deceased have been identified as Basanti Sahu from Bolagarh, and Premakant Mohanty and Pravati Das, both from Balipatna. They were among hundreds of devotees who were waiting for darshan of the holy trinity when the situation suddenly spiraled out of control.
As per reports, the stampede occurred at around 4:00 AM when a large crowd had gathered for darshan of Lord Jagannath and his siblings, who were on their respective chariots.
Eyewitnesses said that panic broke out when workers unloading wooden logs from a truck near the gathering area caused a disturbance. The commotion led to a rush of people, and many were trampled in the ensuing chaos.
At the time, over 500 devotees were sitting on plastic mats, and many were injured in the stampede.
Witnesses also pointed out that there was an inadequate presence of police personnel to manage the large crowd, which might have contributed to the tragedy.
In response to the incident, Law Minister Prithviraj Harichandan expressed deep sorrow over the loss of lives and assured the public that the state government would conduct a thorough investigation.
“Strict action will be taken after the investigation. The Chief Minister has been informed,” he stated.
Odisha Director General of Police (DGP) YB Khurania also arrived in Puri early in the morning to assess the situation.
He instructed senior police officers to review the ground-level arrangements and improve crowd management to prevent further mishaps during the remaining Rath Yatra festivities.
