More than 600 devotees were hospitalised with injuries and health issues due to massive crowd during the Rath Yatra festival of Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra and Goddess Subhadra in Puri, Odisha on Friday. Due to this, the Rath Yatra was delayed considerably. Thankfully, no one lost their life.
Chaos ensued while pulling the Taladhwaj chariot of Lord Balabhadra. Devotees faced difficulty while pulling the chariot at a turn on the way of the Rath Yatra, due to which the speed of the procession slowed down. When the chariot stopped, a large crowd of devotees gathered at the spot.
A large number of people entered the restricted area, which further hindered the smooth movement of the chariots. According to security sources, the crowd was much more than expected, and managing it posed a lot of challenges.
Due to this chaos, a large number of devotees fell ill and needed medical assistance, of which more than 600 were sent for treatment at Puri Medical College. These incident took place on the Rath Yatra route while the pulling of the chariot.
Human chain formed to give way to ambulance in Puri Rath Yatra
Lord Jagannath’s Rath Yatra started at 4 pm on Friday in Puri. The journey started with Lord Balabhadra’s chariot, followed by chariots of Devi Subhadra and Lord Jagannath. Soon after the procession began, Balabhadra’s chariot was pulled for roughly 200 meters, Subhadra-Lord Jagannath’s chariots were also pulled for some distance when the disruption took place.
An ambulance got stuck during the Rath Yatra. A human chain was formed to pull it out. More than 600 devotees got injured during the Rath Yatra who were admitted to Puri Medical Hospital. During the Rath Yatra, around 1500 people formed a human chain to give way to the ambulance.
#WATCH | Odisha: Around 1500 BJP Yuva Morcha volunteers formed a human chain amidst the massive gathering during the Lord Jagannath #RathYatra in Puri to ensure a clear path for ambulances, showcasing their dedication to public service.
Source: BJP Yuwa Morcha pic.twitter.com/mCJyUsyfW9
— ANI (@ANI) June 27, 2025
Puri Rath Yatra to resume on Saturday
The Rath Yatra will resume on Saturday, because chariots are not pulled after sunset. This Rath Yatra will reach Gundicha temple 3 km away on Saturday. After this, Lord Jagannath will stay at his aunt’s place in Gundicha temple for 9 days accompanied by his siblings Subhadra and Balabhadra. On July 5, the Lord will return to the main temple on the occasion of “Ulta Rath” or “Bahuda Jatra”.
Elephant goes out of control in Ahmedabad during Rath Yatra
An elephant went out of control during Lord Jagannath’s Rath Yatra in Ahmedabad on Friday morning and ran for 100 meters. After this, there was a stampede with people frantically running here and there. The out of control elephant was walking in the front of a group of 17 elephants. It was controlled with great difficulty. One person has been injured in this accident.
The procession usually has 17 elephants, 100 trucks, and 30 akhadas (local gymnasiums). It covers 16 km during the day.
Sahu, who is responsible for checking the health of these elephants, said, “When the procession reached Khadia Gate, the male elephant suddenly got agitated due to loud music and whistle sounds. It started running and veered off the designated path.” The mahouts on two female elephants followed the male elephant and controlled it.
Three elephants in #Ahmedabad #RathYatra procession went out of control and started running in the Khadia area of the city.
Situation under control.
Fortunately, as per reports nobody was injured.
The Yatra continues!!#RathYatra2025
भगवान जगन्नाथ #TransportMinisterResign pic.twitter.com/N3ck2VTzLl— UPSC Civil Services (@UpscCivil) June 27, 2025