Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi met with his colleagues following the death of 3 people resulting from a stampede during the Jagannath Rath Yatra on Sunday. Following the meeting, Puri Deputy Police Commissioner Bishnu Charan Pati and police Commandant Ajay Padhi were suspended, while Puri Collector Siddharth S Swain and SP Binit Agarwal were transferred.
Three people died and several were injured in a stampede that occurred early Sunday morning near Shree Gundicha Temple in Puri, Odisha.
According to Odisha Law Minister Prithviraj Harichandan, the three victims – Basanti Sahu, Premakant Mohanty and Pravati Das – died of suffocation.
Harichandan said the state government would carry out a thorough investigation into the incident and then take severe action against anyone culpable of negligence.
Here’s What We Know About The Deadly Stampede In Puri
Circumstances Leading Up To The Stampede
The stampede occurred at 4 am in the morning shortly after numerous devotees were waiting for the unveiling of the three deities which would take place on the chariots at the Gundicha Temple.
Then, a situation arose when two trucks of Charamala wood (a sacred wood) entered the Saradhabali section, creating chaos in the line of devotees.
Witnesses Say There Was Poor Crowd Management
A local resident of Puri who said they were apparently at the temple during the time of the stampede asserted there was “not really any good” crowd management. It was said to be a newly created entrance for VIPs, while common people were then asked to exit the temple from a distance. However, it was said that people were exiting from the entrance itself, further growing the crowd at that location.
Investigation Into The Incident By Odisha DGP
The Director General of Police of Odisha is investigating the stampede, Odisha law minister Harichandan said and stated that stringent action will be taken against those responsible. Odisha DGP, YB Khurania rushed to the site of the stampede, the Gundicha temple, to assess the situation. He stated to ANI, that additional police personnel had been deployed at the site.
Odisha CM Chairs Meeting, Apologises For Incident
Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi said that he had chaired a meeting with his deputies on the situation, PTI quoted an official as saying. Majhi apologised on behalf of the state government seeking forgiveness from the pilgrims of lord Jagannath.
Majhi said he sympathised with the families of those who lost their lives and added that the security lapse that led to the incident would be investigated. “This dereliction of duty is unforgivable,” Majhi said, while additionally stating that he had directed that steps be taken to “initiate exemplary action” against those responsible.
Naveen Patnaik Criticizes The Incompetence Of The Odisha Government
Biju Janata Dal president and former chief minister of Odisha Naveen Patnaik expressed his condolences to the deceased victims of the stampede while praying for a speedy recovery from the injured. Patnaik alleged that there was an “abysmal failure” of crowd management in the Rath Yatra.
He said the incident of the stampede “illuminates the government’s glaring incompetence in facilitating a peaceful festival for devotees.” Referring to eyewitness accounts, Patnaik said the first aid for the tragedy had come from the relatives of the victims, reiterating that there was no governmental mobilization to control the crowd surge.
“While I am not able to accuse the government with criminal negligence, their sheer indifference has certainly led to this tragedy,” Patnaik said in a post on X.
