Puri Rath Yatra 2025: 2 devotees dead, 150+ treated amid stampede row
Synopsis
Two devotees are dead and more than 150 are receiving treatment after crowd chaos at Puri's Rath Yatra — and the political backlash is sharp. With last year's festival also claiming three lives in a stampede, the question is no longer whether a tragedy occurred but why the same administration has failed to prevent it two years running.
Key Takeaways
Two devotees died during the Puri Rath Yatra on 16 July 2025 — one from alleged suffocation, one from cardiac arrest.
More than 150 devotees were reportedly undergoing treatment for crowd-related ailments, according to OPCC .
The state government denied a stampede occurred but confirmed both deaths and said seven persons were evacuated and hospitalised.
OPCC President Bhakta Charan Das alleged excessive cordon passes and RSS volunteer access to cordoned zones contributed to mismanagement.
Last year's Puri Rath Yatra also saw a stampede that claimed three lives , making this a second consecutive year of crowd-related fatalities.
A separate controversy erupted over the Pahandi Bije ritual being conducted without the traditional Tahia floral crown on Lord Jagannath .
Two devotees died and more than 150 others required medical attention during the annual Rath Yatra in Puri on Thursday, 16 July, triggering a political storm in Odisha as opposition parties accused the state government of gross crowd-management failures. The deaths have reignited a debate over safety protocols at one of India's largest religious gatherings.
What Happened on the Grand Road
According to opposition accounts, devotee Anil Das, a native of Keonjhar district, allegedly suffered suffocation due to excessive crowd pressure near Marichikote Square on the Bada Danda (Grand Road), approximately 100 feet from the police cordon. He collapsed, was evacuated by personnel on the ground, and was shifted to the Puri District Headquarters Hospital, where doctors declared him dead.
The state government, while denying that a stampede occurred, confirmed the deaths of two male devotees. It said a man aged above 60 years succumbed reportedly due to suffocation, while a second man aged above 35 years died of a cardiac arrest despite immediate medical intervention. Officials said seven persons in total felt unwell and were swiftly evacuated and hospitalised.
Opposition Mounts Pressure on State Government
Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) President Bhakta Charan Das expressed deep grief over the deaths and called the incident inexcusable. He alleged that over 150 devotees had been undergoing treatment for crowd-related suffocation and other ailments, and demanded a thorough review of crowd management arrangements.
Das also alleged that the issuance of an excessive number of cordon passes and the permission granted to Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) volunteers to enter the cordoned area were among the factors behind the alleged mismanagement. The Biju Janata Dal (BJD), the main opposition party, had separately raised similar concerns earlier in the day.
Ritual Controversy Adds to the Row
The OPCC president also criticised the state government over the conduct of the Pahandi Bije ritual, alleging it was performed without placing the traditional Tahia — a large, fragrant floral crown worn by the deities — on Lord Jagannath. Das said this had deeply hurt the sentiments of the Odia community, compounding the political fallout from the crowd-management controversy.
A Recurring Safety Concern
This is not the first time the Rath Yatra has been marred by crowd-related fatalities. Last year's festival in Puri also witnessed a stampede that claimed three lives, a precedent the OPCC president cited in renewing his criticism of the administration. The pattern of annual incidents has drawn attention to whether the state's crowd-management framework is structurally adequate for a festival that draws millions of pilgrims.
The state government has not yet responded to the specific allegations regarding cordon passes or the Tahia ritual. Further official statements are expected as the festival continues.
Point of View
The administration had a full twelve months to redesign its crowd-management architecture. That it apparently did not — or did so insufficiently — is the accountability question neither the government's statement nor the opposition's rhetoric has yet answered. The cordon-pass allegation, if verified, would represent a systemic failure rather than an operational accident, and that distinction matters enormously for what reforms, if any, follow.
NationPress
17 Jul 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What happened at Puri Rath Yatra on 16 July 2025?
Two devotees died during the annual Rath Yatra in Puri on 16 July 2025 — one reportedly from suffocation due to crowd pressure and another from cardiac arrest. More than 150 others were reportedly receiving treatment for crowd-related ailments, according to opposition accounts, while the state government said seven persons were evacuated and hospitalised.
Did a stampede occur at Puri Rath Yatra 2025?
The Odisha state government denied that a stampede took place, attributing the deaths to suffocation and cardiac arrest as individual medical events. Opposition parties, including the OPCC and BJD, alleged a stampede and accused the administration of crowd-management failures.
Who is Bhakta Charan Das and what did he allege?
Bhakta Charan Das is the President of the Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC). He alleged that excessive cordon passes and the entry of RSS volunteers into cordoned zones contributed to the crowd mismanagement, and called the incident inexcusable, demanding a thorough review.
Has this happened before at Puri Rath Yatra?
Yes. Last year's Rath Yatra in Puri also witnessed a stampede that claimed three lives, making 2025 the second consecutive year in which crowd-related fatalities have occurred at the festival.
What is the Tahia controversy linked to this year's Rath Yatra?
OPCC President Bhakta Charan Das alleged that the Pahandi Bije ritual — the ceremonial procession of the deities — was performed without placing the traditional Tahia, a large fragrant floral crown, on Lord Jagannath. He said this omission deeply hurt the sentiments of the Odia community.
