Chariot Pulling Halted For Adani : Congress Demands Judicial Probe Over 'Mess' During Rath Yatra

On Sunday,at least three people died and several others were injured in a stampede at Saradhabali near the Gundicha Temple in Puri. According to reports, when the three chariots reached Saradhabli, a huge crowd of devotees gathered for the darshan of the deity that led to collapse of the crowd control barriers. As a result, several devotees fell over each other near the wheels of the chariot.

On Friday, during the Rath Yatra, over 750 devotees were taken to hospitals due to exhaustion and crowd pressure, congress alleged.

Congress claimed that the delaying of pulling the chariots on Friday was deliberate and intended to allow the Adani family to pull the chariots.

Congress leader and former minister Prasad Harichandan, said, “The entire administration was there but watched helplessly as the chariots remained halted. There was much talk about Gautam Adani and his family’s visit to participate in the Rath Yatra. Hence, the delay was orchestrated to facilitate the Adani family’s participation” ,

Addressing a news conference at Congress Bhavan, Harichandan demanded a judicial inquiry by the sitting district and sessions judge of Puri into the incident. He said the probe should begin after Niladri Vije on July 8 and the report submitted within 10 days.

At least 3 Dead, Several Injured in Stampede near Puri’s Gundicha Temple During Jagannath Rath Yatra#PuriRathYatraMishap #puristampede #Puri #Fastmail pic.twitter.com/zu4owHrLAC

— Fast Mail (@fastmailnews) June 29, 2025

“The path from the Jagannath temple to Gundicha temple was  in good condition, wide open.The administration had claimed everything would go smoothly, and everyone was assured. However, the chariots Taladhwaja and Darpadalana couldn’t reach, and Nandighosha barely moved, only to maintain tradition”,the congress leader alleged.

On chaos, Harichandan commented that although the Chief Administrator of the Jagannath Temple is a competent government officer, his statement was shocking and painful: “Perhaps some devotees did not turn up , so Nandighosha didn’t move.” Chariot pulling was postponed to the next morning. Harichandan asked if this was indirectly pointing to Adani.

This year, the management of Rath Yatra was handed over entirely to the ruling party by the Government. Political event managers replaced government officials. Scheduled timings were changed arbitrarily. A two-hour gap occurred between the Pahandi (procession) and Chhera Pahara (ceremonial sweeping).

Taladhwaja faced a delay in turning southward. Around 750 people were injured in the crowd crush yesterday, and reports suggest some deaths. The government has not made any statement in this regard.

PCC President Bhakta Charan Das condemned the Rath Yatra mismanagement and demanded that the Governor and Chief Minister apologise to Lord Jagannath and the people. He iterated that Mohan Majhi government halted the Nandighosha chariot pulling for Gautam Adani.