Chaos and Questions After Puri Rath Yatra Tragedy

Families Slam Lack of Security After Stampede Kills Three Devotees Outside Gundicha Temple

Before sunrise on what was supposed to be a sacred morning, chaos took over outside the Gundicha Temple in Puri. By the time the crowd calmed, three people were dead, over 50 injured, and hundreds more left shaken—many blaming the stampede not on divine fate, but human failure.

The Rath Yatra, one of India’s grandest religious processions, had barely begun when a surge in the crowd near Lord Jagannath’s chariot caused panic. The absence of basic crowd control and emergency arrangements turned devotion into disaster. Now, the grieving families are left with more questions than answers.

A Festival of Faith Shattered by Mismanagement

Every year, Puri becomes a sea of faith. Lakhs of devotees pour into the coastal town to watch the deities of Jagannath, Balabhadra, and Subhadra roll through the streets on giant wooden chariots. It’s a celebration of scale, spectacle—and risk.

This year, things spiraled out of control early.

Around 4 am, as the chariot darshan began, multiple processions intersected dangerously. Crowds surged from both sides of the Gundicha Temple gate. There were no barricades. No visible police. Just bodies pushing against bodies.

“There was no system in place,” said Dillip Sahoo, whose wife, 42-year-old Basanti, was one of the three killed. “No police, no directions. People just collapsed. And then it was too late.”

He had brought his whole family from Khurda, hoping to attend the yatra as they did every few years. They returned home with one less family member—and many more scars.

Anguish Turns Into Anger Among the Bereaved

Dillip isn’t the only one pointing fingers.

Biswajit Das, who lost his wife Pravati, said the absence of ambulance access worsened the tragedy. “There was utter chaos. My wife and others could have survived had help arrived on time. No stretchers. No medical aid. Just people screaming and running.”

The third victim, 78-year-old Premakanta Mohanty from Bhubaneswar, reportedly collapsed during the crush and died of asphyxiation. His family says he had no chance.

“We saw it happening, and we couldn’t even get to him,” a family member said. “The crowd was too tight. There was no escape.”

Where Was the Crowd Control?

The police say they were deployed. But ask those who were there, and you’ll hear a different story.

Not a single barricade was in place near the darshan entry route where the crush began. There were no visible police patrols managing the directional flow of pilgrims. Many of the injured were simply trampled as others tried to get away.

One temple volunteer, who asked not to be named, said, “We had been asking for extra hands for weeks. Everyone knew this year would bring a bigger crowd. Nothing was done.”

Here’s what eyewitnesses say was missing:

• Clear pathways and exit routes

• Real-time crowd monitoring

• Emergency responders within reach

• Ambulance access points near the temple

• Public announcements warning about overcrowding

“We weren’t asking for miracles,” said one local shopkeeper, “just a little bit of common sense.”

A Pattern of Warnings Ignored

This isn’t the first time something like this has happened at the Rath Yatra.

In 2015, a smaller crush occurred at the exit point of the Gundicha Temple. No deaths were reported, but several pilgrims were hurt. At the time, local administrators had promised reforms: drone surveillance, digital counters, staggered darshan timings, and a higher deployment of volunteers.

Most of that, it seems, never materialized.

Here’s a quick recap of past Rath Yatra incidents:

One retired police official who oversaw Rath Yatra security in the 2000s said, “You cannot handle a crowd of one million with walkie-talkies and good intentions. You need planning. And you need to listen to people on the ground.”

Government Faces Growing Backlash

Odisha Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, who suspended the Rath Yatra for a day, has called for an inquiry. But that hasn’t quieted the anger.

The administration insists weather played a factor. Overnight rains had left the roads slick. The crowd arrived earlier than expected. But families of the deceased aren’t buying it.

“They knew it was going to be crowded. That’s no excuse,” said an injured devotee from Balasore, sitting on a bench outside the district hospital.

Meanwhile, opposition leaders have begun circling. Accusing the BJD government of “criminal neglect,” Congress state chief Sarat Pattanayak called for immediate compensation to the families and an overhaul of crowd control protocols.

As of Monday morning, only temporary relief—free medical care and burial assistance—has been promised. No word yet on compensation.

The Human Cost Behind the Ritual

Rath Yatra is more than an event. For many, it’s a personal vow. A once-in-a-lifetime spiritual offering. But for some, it ended in heartbreak this year.

The injured are being treated at the Puri District Headquarters Hospital and SCB Medical College in Cuttack. Most of them sustained fractures, head injuries, or trauma from being crushed underfoot.

One young man, barely 18, who came with his grandmother from Ganjam, hasn’t spoken since the incident.