The Odisha government has ordered action against seven police officers and a private technology firm over the lapses that led to a stampede in Puri in which three people were killed and 20 others injured, official sources said on Saturday (November 8, 2025).
In a recent letter to the DGP, the additional secretary in the Home department said that the action to be taken as per the recommendation of the inquiry conducted by Development Commissioner cum Additional Chief Secretary Anu Garg on the stampede incident near Shree Gundicha Temple, during Rath Yatra in Puri on June 29 this year.
Ms. Garg had submitted her report to Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, who is also in charge of the Home department, on July 31.
At least three people, including two women, were killed and 20 others injured in the stampede that took place at around 4 a.m. on June 29, in front of the chariots near the Shree Gundicha temple, as two trucks carrying some wood for rituals entered the area.
The report found lapses on part of police officers Ajay Kumar Padhi, Commandant, OSAP 3rd Battalion, Koraput; Vishnu Prasad Pati, DCP (HQ), Bhubaneswar–Cuttack; Tapas Ranjan Das, Commandant, SSMSV, Puri; K.K. Nayak, Deputy Commandant, SSMSV, Puri; Prasanta Kumar Sahoo, DSP City, Puri; Susanta Kumar Sahoo, IIC, Kumbharapada Police Station and Sarada Prasad Dash, Commandant, OSAP 8th Battalion, Chhatrapur.
