His family members Killed in stampede This happened in Puri, where hundreds of thousands of devotees have gathered for the annual Rath Yatra Festival, questioning the lack of security personnel and lack of arrangements at the site of the incident.
Three people were killed and more than 50 were injured in Stamped outside the Gundcha temple on Sunday morning.
Among the three dead, 42 -year -old Basanti Sahu was a native of Khurda, who along with her husband and children came to Puri to participate in Lord Jagannath’s Rath Yatra.
After the darshan started at around 4 pm, the crowd did not make any arrangements even after swollen near the chariot. While the devotees were going from one side, a large crowd was coming from the other, causing chaos and Jostling.
Dilip, who lives in a slum in Bhubaneswar with her daughter, son and other family members, performed Basanti’s funeral in Swargadwara, Puri.
Two other dead were identified as Prasavati Das (52) of Balipatna and Premkanta Mohanty (78), a native of Balipatna in Khurda.
“My wife and others must have been rescued, there was no system of smooth arrival of ambulance on the spot. There was no police deployment and there was no chaos despite any volunteers. Who would compensate for my loss?” Asked Vavati’s husband Biswaji.
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According to the chaos, it went for about 20 minutes, while two vehicles entered the densely crowded area. Local and other devotees were the first respondents, who pulled the injured people from the crowd and took them to nearby hospitals.
“Despite a large crowd overnight, Darshan was closed early (around midnight). Those who could not see at night used to continue waiting for the chariots till morning. The ritual of ‘Pahada Bhanga’ suddenly flowed as soon as the ritual started. It extended the stampede.”
Many others blamed a faulty barricading system for chaos.
As part of the Rath Yatra, all three chariots of the gods reached the Gundcha temple on Saturday, where the deities will remain till the prescribed Bahuda Yatra for July 5.
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On Friday, more than 200 devotees became ill during the Rath Yatra due to congestion and humidity.
The Odisha government has ordered an administrative inquiry into the case to be organized by a committee headed by Development Commissioner Anu Garg. Puri Collector Siddharth Shankar Swain and Superintendent of Police (SP) Vineet Aggarwal have been replaced. Two senior police officers have also been suspended for “insulting duties”.
Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi said that “negligence was unattainable”. Expressing condolences, he also announced a pre -Rs 25 lakh Gratia for each for the next family members of the deceased. The Chief Minister said, “Exemplary action will be taken against those responsible for the situation.”
A major administrative shake-up has also been launched for the smooth conduct of the remaining rituals including Seshadara Yatra and Sunta Basha. This step is also seen as an attempt to restore public confidence in the system.
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Senior IAS officer Arvind Aggarwal, who previously served as Puri Collector, has been assigned as in -charge of the overall supervision of the festival, while the Rath Yatra has been made in charge of the general police system, an experienced hand in the mob management, an experienced hand, Additional Director General SK Priyadarshi.
The BJP government in Odisha, stating that it would be “an event-free and memorable” this year’s journey, has also been targeted by the opposition.
“Today’s stampede occurred a day after the failure of the mob management during today’s stampede, Rath Yatra, who were injured, who were injured in ensuring a peaceful festival for devotees,” said Naveen Patnaik said in the BJP -led government, “said Naveen Patnaik, the leader of Odisha.
Rahul Gandhi, the leader of protest in the Lok Sabha, also expressed concern over the incident. He said in a post on X, “This tragedy is a serious warning – for such big incidents, security and mob management preparations should be reviewed seriously and well. It is paramount to protect life, and no time is acceptable in this responsibility.”
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Devotees continued to throw Puri on Sunday, so that in a formal procession, the chariots were taken to the Gundcha temple.
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