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Business Standard
29-06-2025
- Business Standard
3 killed, 50 injured in stampede during Jagannath Rath Yatra in Puri
At least three devotees were reportedly killed and 50 injured after a stampede-like situation broke out during the Rath Yatra in Odisha's Puri in the early hours of Sunday. According to a report by OTV, the incident happened at Saradhabali near Gundicha Temple where the three chariots of Lord Balabhadra, Goddess Subhadra and Lord Jagannath are stationed. Around 4 am today, a large crowd had reportedly gathered near the Gundicha temple for darshan. This led to a commotion, killing three people on the spot. The report also said that two trucks carrying charmala (ceremonial garlands) entered the area, causing panic among the large number of devotees present. The deceased have been identified as Prabhati Das, Basanti Sahu, and Premakanta Mohanty. The bodies have been sent for postmortem and an investigation is underway. According to Puri District Collector Siddharth S Swain, the injured have been admitted to a nearby hospital. The situation of at least six injured people is critical, he told news agency PTI. Speaking to ANI, Odisha Law Minister Prithiviraj Harichandan said, "It is an unfortunate incident. We are taking note of that. I spoke with the CM this morning. We are taking stringent action." "We are trying our best to manage the crowd. Additional police have been deployed. The reasons for the incident are being investigated. The situation is now under control and the people are having darshan," he added. Eyewitness speaks "I was there near the temple till 2-3 am last night, but the management was not good. A new way was made for VIPs, and common people were asked to exit from a distance. People started exiting from the entrance itself, which increased the crowd. The traffic system was also not good, as many vehicles with unauthorised passes came near the temple. The administration did not control the crowd properly. The biggest problem was the exit gate," an eyewitness told news agency ANI. Rath Yatra hit by overcrowding, heat The ongoing Rath Yatra has faced persistent issues with overcrowding and extreme weather conditions. On Friday, June 27, nearly 625 people fell ill and many had to be admitted to hospitals due to sweltering heat and overcrowding. According to PTI, many devotees were also injured near Balagandi area where Lord Balabhadra's Taladwaja chariot remained stuck for over an hour on Friday. "The prolonged halt led to a dense buildup of crowd, resulting in several people getting trapped and sustained injuries while trying to get out of the congested area," PTI quoted an official as saying. The three chariots were scheduled to reach 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 taking a turn, preventing the other two from advancing. The chariots with deities inside were kept on the road overnight amid tight security. Former CM criticises 'terrible mess' Former chief minister Naveen Patnaik calling the delay a "terrible mess", saying it was impossible not to voice concern over how events unfolded. In a social media post, the former chief minister said, "All we can do is pray. May Mahaprabhu Jagannath forgive all those responsible for the terrible mess that has overshadowed this divine festival this year." (With inputs from agencies)
News18
28-06-2025
- General
- News18
Rath Yatra 2025: Aarti Of Lord Jagannath Performed As Chariot Pulling Resumes On Day 2
Last Updated: Lakhs of devotees are in Odisha's Puri for Lord Jagannath's annual Rath Yatra, which commenced on Friday, June 27. Jagannath Puri Rath Yatra 2025: The chariot pulling of the Trinity deities— Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra and Devi Subhadra— resumed on second day of the festival on Saturday. Lakhs of devotees are in Odisha's Puri for Lord Jagannath's annual Rath Yatra, which commenced on Friday, June 27. Thousands of people pulled the ropes attached with chariots of Lord Jagannath and his siblings on a road from near the 12th-century shrine towards Shree Gundicha temple, around 2.6 km away. During the festival, the devotees draw the grand chariots of the three deities to the Gundicha Temple, where the deities reside for a week and then return to the Jagannath Temple. #WATCH | Odisha: Lakhs of devotees take part in pulling the chariots at Shri Jagannath #RathYatra in Puri. — ANI (@ANI) June 28, 2025 On Saturday, the priests and devotees performed the aarti of the three deities, who were seated on their grand chariots. #WATCH | Puri, Odisha: Aarti of Lord Shri Jagannath, seated on the chariot, was performed this morning. #RathYatra (Video Source: Shree Jagannatha Temple, Puri/ 'X') — ANI (@ANI) June 28, 2025 On Friday, Lord Jagannath's chariot, Nandighosh, was halted shortly around 7:45 pm after the rolling began. It was only symbolically pulled as part of the ritual and remained parked near the main temple. While Lord Balabhadra's chariot came to a halt at Balagandi Chhak, Devi Subhadra's Darpadalan was stopped at Marichkote. Amid the chants of ' Jai Jagannath" and ' Hari Bol", beating of cymbals and blowing of trumpets and conch shells, the 'Taladwaja' chariot of Lord Balabhadra first started rolling at 4:08 PM. It was followed by Devi Subhadra's 'Darpadalan' chariot and finally Lord Jagannath's 'Nandighosh'. The chariot pulling started after Puri's titular king, Gajapati Maharaja Divyasingha Deb, performed 'Chhera Pahanra' (sweeping of chariots) on all three chariots. Wooden horses of different colours were fitted on three chariots before they were pulled by the devotees. Over 580 Injured Due To Heavy Crowd More than 500 devotees were injured during the annual Rath Yatra festival in Odisha's Puri, after massive crowds surged forward to pull the chariot of Lord Balabhadra, Kalinga TV reported. The incident reportedly occurred during the ceremonial pulling of the Taladhwaja chariot, one of the three grand chariots drawn as part of the centuries-old tradition. Responding to reports of devotees fainting during the Jagannath Rath Yatra, Odisha Minister Mukesh Mahaling said the incidents were likely due to high humidity. 'One or two devotees collapsed due to the weather conditions, but rescue teams responded quickly and took them to the hospital," he said. Security Intensified As spiritual fervour soars, the entire town of Puri has been placed under a multi-layered security cover to ensure a safe and smooth conduct of the massive festival, which draws lakhs of devotees from around the globe. To manage the massive footfall and maintain law and order during the Rath Yatra, nearly 10,000 police personnel have been deployed across the town. The Odisha Police said advanced arrangements, including surveillance through Artificial Intelligence (AI)-enabled cameras and drone monitoring, have been made to handle the crowd of nearly 15 lakh devotees. (With inputs from agencies)
