Protecting lives paramount, lapses unacceptable: Rahul on Odisha stampede

Condoling the loss of lives in the stampede near Gundicha Temple in Odisha's Puri, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Sunday said protecting lives is paramount and any lapse in this responsibility is unacceptable.

He said the tragedy is a serious warning that security arrangements and crowd management for such big events should be taken seriously and must be reviewed.

"The stampede during the Rath Yatra in Puri is extremely saddening. My deepest condolences to the bereaved families, and I hope for the speedy recovery of the injured devotees," the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha said in a post in Hindi on X.

He appealed to the Odisha government to speed up the relief work and urged Congress workers to help in every possible way.

"This tragedy is a serious warning - security arrangements and crowd management for such big events should be taken seriously and must be reviewed," Gandhi said.

"Protecting lives is paramount, and any lapse in this responsibility is unacceptable," he asserted.

At least three people, including two women, were killed and around 50 sustained injuries in the stampede near Shree Gundicha Temple on Sunday morning, officials said.

The incident took place at around 4 am when hundreds of devotees gathered near the temple to witness Rath Yatra festivities, Puri District Collector Siddharth S Swain said.

The injured have been admitted to a nearby hospital, and the condition of six of them is critical, he said.

Chaos ensued after two trucks carrying materials for rituals reportedly entered the crowded spot near the chariots of Lord Jagannath and his sibling deities, officials said.

Devotees in large numbers had assembled outside the temple since the early hours to catch a glimpse of the deities when the 'Pahuda' (cloth) covering their faces was to be removed, as part of the rituals, they said.

The deceased were identified as Basanti Sahu, 36, from Bolagarh, and Premakant Mohanty, 80, and Pravati Das, 42, from Balipatna.