On Sunday, the annual Rath Yatra in Puri turned tragic after a stampede near the Shri Gundicha Temple took three lives and left over 50 devotees injured. Six of them remain in critical condition, as per the hospital officials.
Lakhs of pilgrims had turned up to watch the ceremonial chariot procession of Lord Jagannath, but in a moment of panic people started shoving at a narrow street. Those who were at that time reported that there was chaos and no instant action to control the increasing crowd, that resulted in an instant crush. This is another addition to the alarming trend of deadly stampedes this year in India.
2025: A Deadly ‘Stampede’ Year for crowd
This year, 2025 has seen a surge in deaths due to stampedes, and it has brought out very critical failures of crowd control arrangements for religious occasions and public festivities.
January
The new year had started with a disaster in Andhra Pradesh’s Tirumala, where six pilgrims were killed and several injured on January 8 while rushing for tickets to the Vaikunta Dwara Darshanam at Lord Venkateswara Swamy temple.
Next shocking stampede happened within three weeks, on January 29, there was crowd issue in Prayagraj amidst the Maha Kumbh Mela. While millions had thronged to take a sacred dip on Mauni Amavasya, a stampede at dawn in the Sangam region had killed 30 and injured 60.
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February
On February 15, the New Delhi Railway Station witnessed a terrible stampede when returning Maha Kumbh pilgrims were swept up in a late-night rush. In that stampede at least 18 were killed, and numerous others injured in congested platforms, once again highlighting disastrous gaps in public safety.
May
Another incident of stampede happened in Goa’s Shirgao village. On May 3 Tragedy occurred at the Lairai Jatra festival when seven of the devotees were killed and almost 80 injured as they attempted to get into the crowded grounds of the Shree Lairai Devi Temple.
June
On June 4, a victorious moment turned fatal at a venue close to M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. The celebration of Royal Challengers Bengaluru team members were going on there following their IPL victory. The stampede claimed 11 supporters lives and left 33 injured. That was RCB’s maiden IPL title victory. After the sudden turn of events victory moment turned to be a horrific one.
And now, with the Rath Yatra stampede on June 29, the trend goes on. With more than 50 people killed and many hundreds injured in stampedes this year alone, experts and residents are calling for urgent overhaul. From religious events to sporting events, the inability to control large crowds is becoming fatal. Odisha government has announced 25 lakhs compensation for the victims’ families.
ALSO READ: Rath Yatra 2025: Odisha Govt to Deploy 378 Healthcare Workers to Ensure Public Safety