The Odisha government has appointed senior bureaucrat Aravind Agarwal to oversee the overall management of the Rath Yatra, officials confirmed on Sunday. The move came in the wake of a tragic stampede near Shree Gundicha Temple in Puri, Odisha, which left three people dead and about 50 others injured during the early hours of Sunday as devotees gathered for the annual festival.
Dharmendra Pradhan Urges Better Arrangements, Rahul Gandhi Seeks Prep Review
Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan expressed deep sorrow over the deaths, emphasising the need for improved arrangements at the event. 鈥淭he management there should have made better arrangements鈥 I express my condolences,鈥 Pradhan, who hails from Odisha, told PTI Videos while in Panihati, West Bengal.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi described the incident as 鈥渆xtremely tragic鈥 and urged the Odisha government to speed up relief operations. 鈥淭his tragedy is a serious reminder that security and crowd management preparations for such large events must be thoroughly reviewed. Protecting lives is paramount, and any lapse in this responsibility is unacceptable,鈥 Gandhi posted on X. He extended his condolences to the bereaved families and wished the injured a speedy recovery, appealing to Congress workers to assist in relief efforts.
啶啶班 啶啶 啶班ぅ 啶ぞ啶む啶班ぞ 啶曕 啶︵啶班ぞ啶 啶灌啶 啶啶︵ぁ啶 啶曕 啶樴啶ㄠぞ 啶呧い啷嵿く啶傕い 啶︵啶栢う 啶灌啷 啶多啶 啶膏啶むお啷嵿い 啶ぐ啶苦さ啶距ぐ啷嬥 啶曕 啶啶班い啶 啶啶班 啶椸す啶班 啶膏啶掂啶︵え啶 啶斷ぐ 啶樴ぞ啶げ 啶多啶班う啷嵿ぇ啶距げ啷佮啶 啶曕 啶多啶樴啶 啶膏啶掂じ啷嵿ぅ 啶灌啶ㄠ 啶曕 啶嗋ざ啶 啶曕ぐ啶むぞ 啶灌啶傕イ啶撪ぁ啶苦ざ啶 啶膏ぐ啶曕ぞ啶 啶膏 啶呧お啷啶 啶灌 啶曕た 啶班ぞ啶灌い 啶曕ぞ啶班啶啶 啶啶 啶む啶溹 啶侧ぞ啶 啶斷ぐ 啶曕ぞ啶傕啷嵿ぐ啷囙じ 啶曕ぞ啶班啶啶班啶むぞ啶撪 啶膏 啶嗋啷嵿ぐ啶 啶灌 啶曕た 啶掂 啶囙じ啶啶 啶灌ぐ 啶膏啶さ 啶う啶︹
鈥 Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) June 29, 2025
Odisha Congress Chief Slams 鈥榁IP Culture鈥 Amid Stampede Chaos
Odisha Congress president Bhakta Charan Das criticised what he described as administrative failures and 鈥淰IP culture,鈥 which he alleged hindered effective crowd management. Speaking to ANI, Das said, 鈥淭here was a large crowd this time, but the chariot of Lord Jagannath was not moving forward, and not enough efforts were made to move the chariot. In the night, an event was supposed to happen, but there were lapses in the arrangements there, too.鈥
He added, 鈥淚f we see that Rath Yatra must be devotee-centric, which it was not, it is seen. VIPs came between God and devotees, nothing has happened to VIPs, they are being taken care of, I was also there, nothing happened to me.鈥 Das demanded an investigation into those responsible, stating, 鈥淪uch an incident to devotees is wrong, they (state government) should find the people responsible and do an investigation.鈥
Odisha CM Apologises, Announces Compensation With Administrative Inquiry
Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi announced Rs 25 lakh in financial assistance for the families of the deceased. According to a press note issued by the Odisha Chief Minister鈥檚 Office, the stampede was caused by overcrowding, resulting in the deaths of three devotees.
He also tendered an apology on behalf of his government for the incident. 鈥淒ue to intense eagerness among devotees to have a glimpse of Mahaprabhu… an unfortunate incident occurred because of the resulting jostling and chaos. I and my government seek forgiveness from all Jagannath devotees. We express our condolences to the families of devotees who lost their lives… pray to Mahaprabhu Jagannath to grant them the strength to bear this profound sorrow,鈥 Majhi stated.
The Chief Minister ordered a detailed administrative inquiry to be conducted under the supervision of the Development Commissioner. Additionally, he directed the transfer of the Puri District Collector and Superintendent of Police. Chanchal Rana has been appointed as the new District Collector, while Pinak Mishra will serve as the new SP.