NEW DELHI — A tragic event unfolded in eastern India during a widely attended Hindu festival, with authorities confirming the death of three people and hospitalization of more than a dozen others on Sunday.
According to Siddharth Shankar Swain, the lead governmental figure in the town of Puri, a sudden surge of devotees eager to view the Hindu deities led to a chaotic stampede. Many individuals were overwhelmed with the crowd’s intensity, experiencing faintness or difficulty breathing.
Swain reported that 15 individuals were transported urgently to a nearby government medical facility. Unfortunately, three succumbed to their conditions and were declared deceased upon arrival. Plans for autopsies have been set to pinpoint their exact causes of death. Meanwhile, the remaining 12 patients were treated and have since been discharged from the hospital.
The congregations gathered in tens of thousands at the Shree Gundicha Temple, located adjacent to the illustrious Jagannatha Temple. This gathering is an integral part of the grand “Rath Yatra,” or chariot festival, a deeply revered and ancient Hindu procession drawing participants domestically and internationally. During the festival, revered Hindu deities are ceremoniously driven in elaborately adorned chariots to the enthusiasm of attendees.
The festival is highly significant in Hinduism, attracting immense numbers of pilgrims from across the globe each year. However, the joyous occasion was marred by tragedy, resulting in widespread concern over safety measures.
Former Odisha state leader Naveen Patnaik remarked on social media, blaming a lack of governmental intervention for crowd management during the event. He criticized the apparent failure in maintaining order and ensuring the safety of the devotees. “While I stop short of labeling this as criminal negligence,” Patnaik noted, “the negligence of the government has unmistakably contributed to this sorrowful event.”
Describing the incident as a “stampede,” Patnaik pointed to the evident shortcomings in managing such a massive congregation safely.
Similarly, Mohan Charan Majhi, the prominent elected official of Odisha, extended apologies to the affected families. He indicated the surge was due to attendees’ eager excitement to witness the deities, resulting in the tragic stampede.
Majhi emphasized that the failure to ensure security during the event would undergo thorough scrutiny. “This oversight is indefensible,” he declared, affirming that decisive actions would be taken against those responsible for the oversight.
The focus now remains on evaluating the circumstances leading to the incident and implementing necessary measures to prevent future occurrences at such large-scale religious festivals.