Puri Stampede: Government Announces Compensation, Officials Transferred

The state government has announced compensation for the families of the deceased.

Puri Stampede: The Odisha state government has taken significant action following the stampede during the Puri Rath Yatra. The District Collector and SP have been transferred. Additionally, DCP Vishnu Pati and Commandant Ajay Padhi have been suspended for negligence of duty. The state government has also announced compensation for the families of the deceased. The Chief Minister announced financial assistance of ₹25 lakh for the next of kin of each deceased devotee.

CM Orders Investigation

The Chief Minister has ordered a detailed administrative inquiry under the supervision of the Development Commissioner. The order for the inquiry has been issued. Chanchal Rana has been appointed as the new District Collector, while Pinak Mishra has assumed charge as the new SP.

Stampede in the Morning

A stampede occurred on Sunday morning near the Gundicha Temple in the Saradhabali area of Puri due to a large crowd, resulting in the death of three devotees and injuries to 50 others. The deceased have been identified as Premakant Mohanty, Basanti Sahu, and Prabhati Das, all residents of Khurda district.

CM Apologises to Devotees

CM Majhi also apologised to the devotees of Lord Jagannath for the incident. In a post on the social media platform X, he wrote: "I and my government apologise to all Jagannath devotees. We express our condolences to the families of the devotees who lost their lives in the stampede. We pray to Lord Jagannath to give them the strength to bear this grief."

Former CM Expresses Grief

Former Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik termed the incident a result of the government's "gross incompetence" and strongly criticised the failure in crowd management. He expressed his grief on the social media platform X, writing: "I express my deepest condolences to the families of the three devotees who lost their lives in the stampede at Saradhabali in Puri and pray to Lord Jagannath for the speedy recovery of the injured devotees." Puri's Gajapati Maharaj Divyasingh Deb also demanded an immediate investigation.