Officials in control room ‘had no idea’ of Rath Yatra stampede as it unfolded
The Government of Odisha has held five executive magistrates and officers accountable for negligence during the Jagannath Rath Yatra stampede in Puri on June 29, 2025.
Puri: The Government of Odisha has held five executive magistrates and officers accountable for negligence during the Jagannath Rath Yatra stampede in Puri on June 29, 2025.
The incident near Gundicha Temple resulted in three deaths and over 50 injuries, primarily due to poor crowd monitoring, lack of situational awareness, and failure to escalate risks.
The Additional Chief Secretary, Home Department, has recommended disciplinary action under the OCS (CCA) Rules, 1962.
The inquiry names the following officers for dereliction of duty, either at the Control Room or near the chariot sites:
- Ashok Kumar Behera: Assistant Conservator of Forests (ACF), Puri
- Bibhuti Bhusan Nayak: Deputy Secretary to Sub-Collector Office
- Raj Kishore Jena: Addl. Tehsildar, SukuRuli, Mayurbhanj
- Soubhagya Kumar Mohanty: Addl. Tehsildar, Gondia, Dhenkanal
- Dayanidhi Patra: Assistant Collector, Dhenkanal
Apart from Control Room ignorance, many officers were from outside districts or unrelated departments such as Forest or Small Savings and were unfamiliar with local crowd behavior, ritual protocols (Nitis), and risk factors.
Despite this, they failed to consult seniors, engage Sevayats or crowd marshals, or report emerging complications.
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