man who lost his wife in the stampede near the Shree Gundicha Temple in Puri during the Jagannath Rath Yatra has criticized the emergency response, stating, “The rescue team, fire officials didn’t respond.” The tragic incident occurred around 4 am on Sunday, resulting in three fatalities and approximately 50 injuries. Puri District Collector Siddharth S. Swain reported that the chaos erupted as two trucks carrying ritual materials entered a congested area near the chariots, inciting panic among the gathered devotees.
Eyewitness Swadhin Kumar Panda echoed concerns about inadequate crowd management, noting he was present near the temple until 2–3 am when he observed poor organizational efforts. He pointed out that a new route was created for VIPs, while common attendees were directed to exit from a distance, which led to increased crowding. Panda further criticized the traffic control measures, emphasizing that the administration failed to manage the crowd effectively, particularly at the exit gate.
The man who lost his wife lamented the lack of response from emergency services during the incident, describing it as a “pathetic situation.” He also highlighted past occurrences of fatalities during the Rath Yatra, accusing the Odisha administration of failing to disclose casualties and asserting that there was insufficient police presence at night.
