Festival stampede kills three near Indian temple

New Delhi: A sudden crowd surge at a Hindu festival in India's coastal state of Odisha on Sunday triggered a stampede that killed at least three people and injured several others, local government officials said.

Thousands of devotees had gathered near Gundicha temple in the city of Puri for celebrations of an annual Hindu chariot festival.

"There was a sudden surge in the crowd. Nine devotees experienced breathlessness and were taken to hospital. While three died, the others are in stable condition," Siddharth Swain, a district administrative official, told reporters.

Local media reported that several other festivalgoers were injured, but the officials could not immediately confirm. 

Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi said the "tragic incident" occurred due to the "overwhelming rush of devotees".

"I extend my condolences to the families of those who lost their lives," Majhi posted on social media platform X, adding that a probe was launched.

"This negligence is unforgivable. I have directed an immediate investigation into the safety lapses and exemplary actions will be taken against those responsible."

In the aftermath of the stampede, Odisha Government shunted out Puri District Collector Siddharth Shankar Swain and Superintendent of Police Vinit Agrawal while two other senior police officials have been placed under suspension.

Collector of Khordha, Chanchal Rana and DIGP of the Special Task Force (STF) of Odisha Police, Pinak Mishra have been appointed as Puri Collector and SP respectively, as per a statement issued by the Chief Minister’s Office following a high-level meeting.

DCP Vishnu Pati and Commandant Ajay Padhee have been placed under suspension for dereliction of duty.

Meanwhile, Odisha CM Mohan Charan Majhi has announced ex-gratia of Rs250,000 for the family members of three devotees, who lost their lives in the stampede.

The Odisha Government has also ordered an administrative inquiry into the tragedy under the supervision of the Development Commissioner of Odisha, Anu Garg.

In another important decision, the government has assigned Arvind Agrawal, Commissioner-cum-Secretary of the Higher Education Department, the charge for overall supervision of the Car Festival in Puri.

Deadly stampedes and crowd crushes are a common occurrence at Indian religious festivals.

In May, six people were crushed to death in the state of Goa after thousands gathered for a popular fire-walking ritual.

And in January, at least 30 people were killed in an early morning crush at the Kumbh Mela, a Hindu mega-festival in the northern city of Prayagraj.