Following the tragic stampede during the Jagannath Rath Yatra in Puri, the Odisha government has taken swift and stringent action. Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi has suspended two senior officials and transferred the Puri District Magistrate and Superintendent of Police with immediate effect.
According to the statement issued by the Chief Minister’s Office, Puri DM Siddharth Shankar Swain and SP Vineet Agrawal have been transferred. In addition, DCP Vishnu Pati and Commandant Ajay Padhi have been suspended for dereliction of duty. Chanchal Rana has been appointed as the new District Magistrate of Puri, while Pinak Mishra will take over as the new SP.
The Chief Minister has also ordered a detailed administrative inquiry into the incident under the supervision of the Development Commissioner. Expressing deep sorrow, CM Majhi announced an ex-gratia compensation of ₹25 lakh each to the families of the deceased. He also issued a public apology to all devotees of Lord Jagannath, stating, “I and my government seek forgiveness from all devotees. We pray to the Lord to grant strength to the bereaved families.”
Stampede Occurred Around 4 AM
The incident took place early Sunday morning near the Shri Gundicha Temple, where at least three people died and over 50 were injured in a stampede. The tragedy unfolded around 4 AM when hundreds of devotees had gathered to witness the Rath Yatra rituals.
According to officials, the chaos began when two trucks carrying ritual materials entered a densely packed area near the chariots of Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra, and Devi Subhadra, leading to panic and stampede. The injured were rushed to a nearby hospital, where six are reported to be in critical condition.
The deceased have been identified as Basanti Sahu from Bolagarh, Premkant Mohanty from Balipatna, and Pravati Das. The bodies have been sent for post-mortem, and further investigation into the incident is underway.
