Stampede during Jagannath Rath Yatra in Odisha's Puri, three killed

New Delhi, June 29 (IANS) At least three people, including two women, died and 10 others were injured in a stampede during the Rath Yatra in Odisha's Puri.

The incident occurred around 4.30 a.m. when the three Raths carrying idols of Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra and Goddess Shubhadra were near Shree Gundicha Temple, about three kilometres from Jagannath Temple.

As per reports, the holy chariots were at the Gundicha temple, and a large crowd had gathered for a darshan. As the crowd swelled, some people fell and a stampede began. Three people died on the spot.

These include two women, Prabhati Das and Basanti Sahu, and 70-year-old Premakant Mohanty. All three, it is learnt, are from Khurda district and had come to Puri for the Rath Yatra. The condition of some of those injured is critical, according to reports.

More details were awaited.

The chariots were scheduled to reach the Gundicha temple by the evening of Friday. But they had to be stopped on Grand Road as Lord Balabhadra's Taladwaja chariot got stuck while negotiating a turn, preventing the other two from advancing. While most rituals, including the Pahandi of the deities, were completed largely on schedule as per the Jagannath Temple Administration's plans, the pulling of the chariots was significantly delayed, leading to discontent among the gathered devotees. The chariots of Lord Balabhadra and Devi Subhadra -- Taladhwaja and Darpadalana -- stopped midway, while Nandighosha, the chariot of Lord Jagannath, moved only a short distance from the Lion Gate (Singhadwar) before halting.

Responding to media queries on the delay, Law Minister Prithviraj Harichandan on Friday had said the pulling of the chariots began at 4 p.m. after all rituals were completed as scheduled. However, issues at key turning points on the Bada Danda (Grand Road), combined with an unexpectedly massive turnout of devotees -- reportedly 1.5 times higher than in previous years -- led to the disruption.

“Favourable weather conditions contributed to the higher turnout this year, which made crowd control more challenging,” he said.

During Rath Yatra, three grand chariots with the idols of Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra and Goddess Shubhadra are drawn by a massive crowd of devotees. The holy chariots are taken to the Gundicha Temple. The three deities spend a week there before returning to the Jagannath Temple.

--IANS

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