Crowd surge, mismanagement: 6 factors that caused Puri stampede

In a rerun of the Maha Kumbh Mela stampede earlier this year, chaos, mismanagement, and a sudden surge in devotees led to a similar tragedy near the Gundicha Temple during the annual Rath Yatra festival in Puri, Odisha, on Sunday (June 29) morning, killing three and injuring some 50.

The tragedy reportedly happened around 4.20 am when thousands of pilgrims had gathered to witness the rituals. The three who died have been identified as Premakant Mohanty (80), Basanti Sahoo (36), and Prabhati Das (42).

While the state government has launched an investigation, here is what can be understood about the reason behind the stampede from eyewitnesses’ and devotees’ accounts:

Also read: Puri stampede LIVE: 3 dead; ‘negligence unforgivable’, says Odisha CM Mohan Majhi

1. Crowd surge

According to reports, the incident happened shortly after “pahuda” (when deities sleep) got over and darshan of the deities on the three chariots resumed. Officials have said pahuda happened around 12.30 am, and darshan started again at 3.45 am.

Reportedly, around 1,500 devotees had gathered around the Gundicha temple, which is around 3 km from the Jagannath Temple, for darshan. As these thousands of people rushed in for darshan at once, a sudden crowd surge occurred, sparking panic.

“We had reached in front of the Gundicha temple around 3.31 am. At that time, there were around 50,000 devotees. When darshan resumed, there was sudden chaos,” recalled a witness.

Also read: Rath Yatra: Devotees resume pulling chariots in Puri

2. Sudden arrival of trucks

According to eyewitnesses, the matter worsened when two trucks carrying “charamala” — makeshift wooden stairs used to help carry deities to or down the chariots — tried to make their way through the jam-packed area.

The arrival of the trucks in the narrowed-down space sparked further chaos among the devotees. Chinmay Patra, a witness, told the media, “The narrow congregation site, combined with limited police presence and scattered palm-log ladders near the chariots, created hazardous conditions for devotees.”

Another eyewitness said, “No official had thought about arrangements for devotees and how charamala could be bought through the crowd. Police were only busy making arrangements for VIPs.”

Also read: Adani, Ambani groups extend services at Puri Rath Yatra

3. Road for VIPs

Swadhin Kumar Panda, a resident of Puri, told news agency ANI that a “new way made for VIPs” further pushed the crowd into a narrow space.

“I was present 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.

4. Mismanagement

Many devotees and witnesses have complained of utter mismanagement. Panda said the traffic management system was not good, and “many vehicles with unauthorised passes came near the temple”.

“The administration did not control the crowd properly. The biggest problem was the exit gate. The Odisha administration is responsible for this. There were no police, administration there at night,” Panda added.

Also read: Puri Rath Yatra: Over 600 people fall ill due to heat, overcrowding

Former Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik slammed the current administration on X, criticising its failure to ensure devotees’ safety.

“While I refrain from accusing the government of criminal negligence, their blatant callousness has undeniably contributed to this tragedy,” he said, seeking immediate improvements in the arrangement for upcoming rituals such as Adapa Bije and Bahuda Yatra on July 1, when the festival will conclude.

5. Lack of enough police personnel

Many devotees alleged that they saw no police officials during the stampede. A woman who lost her relative in the stampede said, “Our happiness turned into a tragedy because of the lack of measures taken by the administration. No police personnel were present during the stampede. People helped each other to save lives, but unfortunately, I lost my sister-in-law.”

Another devotee also alleged that “there was no police protection, and no one from the disciplinary committee was present during the stampede”. He alleged that when he went to the information centre to draw their attention, he was asked to leave. “My nephew and others rescued at least 50 people,” he claimed.

Yet another witness whose relative died said, “The administration did not take any concrete measures. There was wood stacked. My son tried to save others. There were no police personnel or other officials to help.”

Another devotee said they were moving towards Lord Jagannath’s chariot when suddenly, a “huge crowd started rushing” towards them. “Only the common people and devotees were helping us and doing everything. There was nobody [from the administration] there.”

However, Puri SP Vinit Agrawal claimed police deployment was done at the spot and that “details will be shared after the investigation”.

Also read: Rath Yatra LIVE: Over 500 people hospitalised after 'chaos' during chariot-pulling

6. Poor response

Even after the tragedy happened, police and the administration did not respond properly, devotees and witnesses have alleged.

Basanti Sahoo’s husband alleged that no one responded promptly. “When this incident happened, no one responded — neither the fire officials, nor the rescue team, nor the hospital team. This is a pathetic incident that cannot be expressed...”

An eyewitness said “people fell over each other” and many were unconscious within a few minutes. He alleged that even when they rushed to the information centre, the latter did nothing because the ambulance was stationed around a kilometre away.

Sahoo’s husband further alleged that the police personnel who were present on the spot escaped after chaos broke out. “Around 200–300 people fell in the chaos. We told the police officials, but they did not help. The administration did not help us. We had to carry our relatives who were injured on our own,” he added.

“We cried for help, ambulance, and even for water. But the police personnel did not offer even a single drop. There was a massive crowd at the spot when the stampede occurred,” he revealed.