With Bahuda Yatra and Suna Besha on weekend, it’s a litmus test for Puri administration

The tragic stampede during Rath Yatra festivities near Gundicha Temple in Puri has raised serious questions about the preparedness and response capabilities of the Puri administration and the police. The incident has highlighted glaring lapses in traffic control, crowd management, and real-time coordination, especially on a high-alert day like Sunday, when lakhs of devotees thronged the temple town.

As visuals of the Puri stampede devotees collapsing in the rush went viral and eyewitnesses recounted their traumatic experiences, both servitors and pilgrims directly blamed the administration for its failure in anticipating and managing the massive crowd.

Despite claims of extensive surveillance through hundreds of AI-powered cameras and an integrated command control centre set up for the event, questions remain whether the officials were monitoring the live feeds or asleep at the screen.

'Srimandir Management Committee Not Active'

What shocked many was the lack of preemptive crowd regulation, despite prior assumption of a massive turnout on the Sunday of Rath Yatra. Senior servitors have lashed out, questioning how the administration failed to estimate footfall, even with previous years as reference and real-time data at their disposal.

“Had the Srimandir Management Committee been active, coordination could have been better. Had the Mangala Alati been conducted earlier, seeing the growing crowd, the entire sequence of events could have been moved ahead, preventing the stampede,” said senior servitor Binayak Das Mahapatra.

Delay in rituals after the deities’ ‘Pahuda’ (retirement to rest) at 12:15 am led to a late start of Mangala Alati, further aggravating congestion in the narrow Shradhabali area. Devotees blocked the Ratha route in desperation to get a glimpse of the deities.

On Sunday evening, thousands of vehicles headed toward Puri, flooding the roads. Yet, traffic police appeared unaware of the surge. “How did traffic officers not know about the inflow?” asked a devotee. Social media users, too, criticised the administration’s failure to issue early alerts.

Following the incident, the Odisha Police’s X (formerly Twitter) handle began issuing advisories, but the damage was already done.

Are We Ready For Bahuda Yatra & Suna Besha?

Now, tougher questions loom ahead of the July 6 Bahuda Yatra (return car festival) and the July 7 Suna Besha (golden attire ritual), both falling on a weekend, expected to draw even larger crowds. Security officials admit that the coming days will test the credibility of the newly appointed district collector and SP.

Puri’s new SP Pinak Mishra has assured improved management going forward. “We are revising the strategy, tightening crowd zones, and improving field coordination. We are committed to ensuring a disciplined darshan experience.”

Pilgrims, however, remain wary. Many have urged authorities to take lessons seriously. “The administration must not repeat Sunday’s mistake. Planning for peak days like Bahuda and Suna Besha must begin now, not the night before,” said a pilgrim from Bhubaneswar.

As Odisha prepares for the remaining days of the annual Rath Yatra festival, the spotlight is firmly on Puri’s administrative machinery. The challenge now is to restore public faith and ensure divine celebrations are not marred by human mismanagement.