Stampede near Puri’s Gundicha Temple: 3 dead, many injured

At least three people died and many were injured in a stampede at Saradhabali near the Gundicha Temple in Puri. The deceased have been identified as Premakanta Mohanty, 80, Basanti Sahoo, 36, and Prabhati Das, 42. The stampede occurred between 4.00 and 5.00 am when a large crowd of weekend pilgrims gathered to see the deities on their chariots. The chariots had arrived at Saradha Bali from the Jagannath Temple on Saturday, a day after the Rath Yatra. Eyewitnesses mentioned that the situation escalated when two trucks carrying wooden logs attempted to enter the already crowded area. The incident has raised concerns over crowd management during major religious gatherings.

Odisha law minister Prithiviraj Harichandan expressed his condolences and announced a high-level inquiry. He stated that a thorough investigation will be conducted, and appropriate action will be taken against those responsible for the negligence that led to the incident. This is the first time a fatal stampede has occurred outside the Gundicha Temple. On Saturday, around 750 devotees had to be taken to the hospital due to exhaustion and crowd pressure during Rath Yatra. At least 12 patients are in the ICU.