Puri: Gajapati Maharaja Dibyasingha Deb, the first servitor of Lord Jagannath, has expressed shock over the stampede near Shree Gundicha Temple in Odisha’s Puri early this morning, which claimed three lives and left several devotees injured.
“Gajapati Maharaja has offered prayers at the Lotus Feet of the Lord for ‘sadgati’ of the departed ‘atmas” and conveyed his deep condolences to the members of the bereaved family.,” a release from his office said.
Also Read: Odisha CM Calls Saradhabali Stampede ‘Unforgivable Negligence’, Apologises To Jagannath Devotees
The Puri King has also appealed to the state government to carry out a prompt and comprehensive inquiry into the incident and take immediate steps to prevent a recurrence, it added.
Three devotees, including two women, were killed and six others were injured early Sunday morning in a stampede at Saradhabali near Gundicha Temple in Puri. The incident occurred at around 4.20 am when two trucks loaded with Charamala wood (considered sacred) entered the Saradhabali area, which saw a sudden surge in devotees, trying to catch a glimpse of the deities on the chariots as the ‘pahada’ ritual was about to begin.
Earlier in the day, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi sought forgiveness from devotees of Lord Jagannath for the stampede and tendered an apology on behalf of his government. He described the incident as “unforgivable negligence” and promised a thorough investigation into security lapses. “This level of negligence is wholly unacceptable. An immediate investigation into the safety lapses will be conducted and strict action will be taken against those responsible, with exemplary measures put in place to prevent such tragedies in the future,” he posted on X.
The CM, however, attributed the incident to the chaotic rush of devotees eager to catch a glimpse of the sibling deities on the chariots. “Due to the intense eagerness among devotees to have a glimpse of Mahaprabhu at Saradhabali, an unfortunate incident occurred because of the resulting jostling and chaos,” he wrote.
Also Read: Saradhabali Stampede: Puri Collector & SP Removed; Rs 25L Ex-Gratia For Deceased Devotees
The Odisha government has transferred Puri Collector Siddharth Shankar Swain and SP Vinit Agrawal after the tragic incident. Puri DCP Bishnu Charan Pati and Police Commandant Ajay Padhi have also been suspended for dereliction of duty. Further, CM Mohan Majhi has announced a financial aid of Rs 25 lakh to the next of kin of the victims of the stampede.
These apart, IAS officer Aravind Agrawal has been appointed as in charge of overall supervision of the annual Rath Yatra of Lord Jagannath in Puri.