Jagannath Rath Yatra: Stampede In Puri killing 3, injuring several others, What went wrong?

The accident happened when three chariots carrying the idols of Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra and Goddess Subhadra were near the Sri Gundicha temple

Puri. At least three devotees, including two women, were killed and several others were injured early Sunday morning in a stampede at the Saradhabali area, near Gundicha Temple in Puri, reports Dynamite News correspondent.

The accident happened around 4:30 am, when three chariots carrying the idols of Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra and Goddess Subhadra were near the Sri Gundicha temple, about three kilometers from the Jagannath temple.

According to reports, a huge crowd had gathered near the Gundicha temple for darshan. As the crowd increased, some people fell, causing a stampede. Three people died on the spot in this accident.

Deceased Identified

The deceased include two women - Prabhati Das and Basanti Sahu. Apart from this, 70-year-old Premkant Mohanty has also died. All three were residents of Khurda district and had come to Puri for the Rath Yatra. The condition of some of the injured is said to be critical.

The chariots were scheduled to reach the Gundicha temple by Friday evening but were halted on the Grand Road after Lord Balabhadra's Taladhwaja chariot got stuck at a turn, which prevented the other two chariots from proceeding further. Though most of the rituals like Pahandi were completed within the time set by the Jagannath temple administration, the chariot pulling was delayed considerably, leading to resentment among devotees.

The chariots (Taldhwaja and Darpadalan) of Lord Balabhadra and Goddess Subhadra got stuck midway, while Lord Jagannath's chariot (Nandi Ghosh) stopped a little ahead of Singhadwar.

Minister Prithviraj Harichandan

Responding to media queries, Law Minister Prithviraj Harichandan on Friday said the chariot pulling had begun at 4 pm after all rituals were completed on time but problems at major turns on the Bada Danda (Grand Road) and a crowd of devotees 1.5 times more than in previous years caused disruptions.

He said, "The number of devotees was high this year due to favourable weather, which helped in controlling the crowd. During the Rath Yatra, three grand chariots carrying the idols of Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra and Goddess Subhadra are pulled by huge crowds. These chariots are taken to the Gundicha Temple, where the three deities stay for a week and then return to the Jagannath Temple.