The Odisha government has rejected reports of a stampede during the annual Jagannath Rath Yatra in Puri, saying the festival concluded in an orderly manner despite heavy rain and an estimated turnout of 8-9 lakh devotees.
In a statement, the Chief Minister's Office confirmed that two devotees died during the festival but said neither death was linked to a stampede or any systemic failure in crowd management.
"The overall conduct of the festival remained peaceful, orderly and well managed. There was no incident of stampede or any systemic breakdown of crowd management," the statement said.
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According to the government, one devotee aged above 60 died after falling ill during the festival, with authorities still determining the exact cause of death. In a separate incident, another male devotee aged above 35 died after suffering a cardiac arrest despite receiving immediate medical attention.
The statement further said seven devotees who complained of fatigue, dehydration, suffocation and other rain-related health issues were immediately shifted to hospitals. Many others received treatment for weather-related ailments and were later discharged.
The world-famous Rath Yatra of Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra, Devi Subhadra and Sudarshana was held on Thursday amid persistent rainfall, with devotees arriving from across Odisha, other parts of India and abroad, according to the multiple media reports.
Despite the challenging weather, all major rituals, including the pulling of the three chariots, were completed as scheduled, the CMO said. Govardhan Peeth Shankaracharya also offered prayers before the chariots.
The state government said it had put in place extensive arrangements involving the police, health department, Fire Services, Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force (ODRAF), National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), transport, municipal authorities and other departments.
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Round-the-clock monitoring, CCTV surveillance, public announcement systems, traffic management, sanitation, drinking water facilities, emergency response teams and medical infrastructure helped ensure the smooth movement of devotees, the statement from CMO said.
Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi thanked servitors, volunteers, security personnel and devotees for their cooperation during the festival.
"Their patience, discipline and cooperation ensured the successful celebration of the festival," Majhi said, while reaffirming the government's commitment to improving infrastructure and public services to ensure safer and more convenient pilgrimages in the future.
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