Jagannath Rath Yatra: 3 killed, several injured in stampede near Gundicha temple In Odisha's Puri

Puri district collector Siddharth Swain said, "Three people were killed and six people were injured."

Updated on: Jun 29, 2025, 10:46:05 IST

By Debabrata Mohanty

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Three devotees, including two women, were killed and over 50 were injured early Sunday morning in a stampede at the Saradhabali area, near Gundicha Temple in Puri.

The injured were rushed to a nearby hospital, with six of them being in critical condition. (PTI)

Police have identified the deceased as Basanti Sahu (36) from Bolagarh, Premakant Mohanty, and Pravati Das from Balipatna in Bhubaneswar.

Puri district collector Siddharth Swain said, "Three people were killed and six people were injured."

According to eyewitnesses, around 4 am, two trucks loaded with Charamala wood (considered sacred) entered the Saradhabali area near the Gundicha Temple, about 3 km from the main Jagannath Temple, where over 1,500 devotees were seated, waiting for the deities in the chariots to be unveiled to the public. The unexpected arrival of the trucks caused chaos.

Odisha law minister Prithviraj Harichandan said the state government will conduct a thorough probe into the incident. “Strict action will be taken after the investigation. The chief minister has been informed,” he added. Director general of police (DGP) Y.B. Khurania, along with other senior police officers, has visited the spot.

“People just fell over each other in a matter of seconds and many fell unconscious. I rushed to the information centre seeking help, but they could not do anything. Even the ambulance was stationed at least a kilometre away,” an eyewitness said.

“Usually, the gates are not closed after the deities reach the Gundicha temple on chariots. This year for no reason, they stopped it after midnight and it led to a surge in the crowd who were anxious to see the Lord,” said another eyewitness.

Meanwhile, over 700 devotees were hospitalised with complaints of suffocation and nausea following a stampede-like situation on Friday during the pulling of chariots. Amid the chaos, none of the three chariots could be pulled even halfway from the Jagannath Temple to the Gundicha Temple.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Debabrata Mohanty
Debabrata Mohanty is a senior assistant editor of Hindustan Times who works as state correspondent from Odisha covering the state's politics, governance, public policy, natural disasters, environment and its society for close to three decades. With his long years of reporting from the state capital of Bhubaneswar, Mohanty has been known as one of the most experienced and credible journalists covering Odisha for the national English dailies. His reporting combines on-ground detail with deep institutional knowledge detailing the state's changing politics, governance issues, administrative reforms and the functioning of its public institutions. He has regularly reported on issues ranging from legislative developments and public policy implementation. Politics is his core areas of expertise as he closely tracks Odisha's political landscape, including the rise and transformation of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), the two principal political parties in Odisha. His long association with the state's political establishment enables him to write on contemporary developments in a larger political context. Mohanty takes a deep interest in writing human interest stories, environmental issues and documenting the impact of cyclones, floods, heatwaves, and other climate-related events in one of the most disaster-prone states. His coverage extends to public health, governance reforms and stories on accountability of government institutions. Before joining Hindustan Times, Mohanty worked with The Indian Express, Mail Today, and The Telegraph, where he covered at least six general elections and as many assembly elections. In 2007, he was selected for the prestigious Chevening Young Indian Print Journalist Programme at the University of Lincoln, United Kingdom, where he received advanced training in print journalism. In 2009 he won the Press Institute of India-International Committee of Red Cross award on conflict reporting for his on-ground reportage of 2008 Kandhamal riots.Read More

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