Source HT
PURI: A wave of tragedy struck the world-famous Jagannath Rath Yatra on Thursday as an overwhelming crowd surge along the historic Bada Danda (Grand Road) resulted in fatalities and left over a hundred devotees hospitalized.
The incident unfolded mid-afternoon shortly after the ceremonial Pahandi procession—the ritualistic moving of the deities to their massive wooden chariots—concluded. Hundreds of thousands of pilgrims had converged on the coastal town, undeterred by continuous downpours and severe waterlogging, to catch a glimpse of Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra, and Goddess Subhadra.
Sudden Chaos on Grand Road
According to eyewitnesses and local police, pushing and shoving broke out near Marichikot Square as the densely packed crowd began pressing toward the inner cordons.
“It appeared that one person lost balance and fell first, which triggered a domino effect in the crowd,” an eyewitness noted. “Within seconds, there was absolute chaos, and dozens of people fell on top of one another.”
Emergency rescue workers, police personnel, and volunteers scrambled through the suffocating rush, pulling unconscious and injured devotees out of the crush. Many were carried away on stretchers through the rain-slicked streets.
Casualties and Medical Emergency
Medical officials confirmed that two men lost their lives during the festival’s peak rush. One of the victims, identified as 35-year-old Anil Das, suffered acute breathing difficulties and collapsed near a police barricade. He was rushed to the Puri District Headquarters Hospital (DHH) but was declared dead on arrival. An elderly devotee over the age of 60 also succumbed after losing consciousness during the heavy crowd surge.
More than 100 devotees are currently undergoing treatment at local healthcare facilities. While a significant number of patients were admitted after fainting due to suffocation and exhaustion, several others sustained physical injuries, including bone fractures.
Administrative Response and Political Fallout
The administration deployed Special Rescue Units (SRU) and stepped up emergency protocols to clear the bottlenecked areas and facilitate medical movement. However, the tragedy has quickly sparked a political debate over event management safety protocols.
While opposition leaders expressed grief and questioned crowd management strategies for such a massive, predictable gathering, state officials maintained that the overall situation remained under control. Government sources emphasized that administrative teams responded immediately to the unexpected crowd buildup to prevent a much larger catastrophe, urging the public to remain calm and follow police directions.
Despite the initial panic and logistical hurdles posed by the heavy downpour, the traditional pulling of the chariots eventually commenced under heightened security, as lakhs of emotional devotees continued to chant prayers along the Bada Danda.
