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3 Killed in Puri's Jagannath Rath Yatra Stampede

A stampede during the early morning Rath Yatra in Puri’s Gundicha Temple area resulted in three deaths and over 50 injured

At approximately 4 AM, two trucks carrying ritual Charamala wood entered a densely packed area, triggering panic among devotees

Witnesses say lack of crowd control, ad-hoc VIP routes, and traffic mismanagement intensified the chaos

Odisha CM Mohan Charan Majhi convened an emergency meeting, sought public forgiveness, and announced ₹25 lakh compensation to victims' familiesm

Senior officials, including Puri DCP Bishnu Pati and Police Commandant Ajay Padhi, were suspended, and District Collector Siddharth Swain & SP Vineet Agrawal transferred

A full investigation into the causes and security failures has been officially launched by DGP YB Khurania

Rahul Gandhi and Naveen Patnaik criticized the incident, warning it highlights systemic failures in managing large religious gatherings

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