Cops fled to save themselves: Puri stampede eyewitnesses, survivors

BHUBANESWAR/PURI: Survivors and eyewitnesses of the stampede that left three devotees dead in front of Gundicha Temple in Puri on Sunday alleged that police personnel ran to save their own lives instead of rescuing the fallen victims.

"I watched in horror as police officers fled to protect themselves. My wife was unconscious, and I had to carry her to the hospital with help from other devotees. Police authorities who should have protected us were nowhere to be found," said Dilip Sahu, husband of deceased Prabhati Sahu from Khurda district.The stampede occurred between 4 and 4.30am when thousands of devotees had gathered for darshan of the deities in front of the chariots, which had arrived in front of Gundicha Temple on Saturday, a day after Rath Yatra.

Survivors described a scene of utter chaos as the crowd surge became uncontrollable. According to eyewitnesses, there were no responders at the spot to deal with the situation, despite the govt's series of mock drills conducted before the festival."There were hardly any police personnel visible despite the massive crowd. It was a Sunday, and the flow of devotees was growing. When people started falling and screaming, there was no organised response.

We were completely on our own," said Abhijit Das, husband of deceased devotee Prabhati Das of Nayapalli area in Bhubaneswar.Parikhita Mishra, an eyewitness from Dhenkanal who narrowly escaped, blamed the administration for allowing two trucks carrying additional wooden ladders for the chariots. "The space in front of the chariots was already packed. But two trucks passed through, further squeezing the area and leading to the stampede.

There were no cops to streamline the truck movement," Mishra said.Prasanjit Makahud, another survivor, said, "Some wooden logs were kept on the ground in front of the chariots. Many devotees stood on them to catch a clear glimpse of the deities. The logs were slippery due to the rain. Some devotees slipped and fell."A resident and regular temple-goer Santosh Das pointed out the systemic failure in crowd management. "Every year, we see huge crowds during festivals, yet the police authorities never learn. There were a handful of policemen for thousands of devotees. How can they possibly maintain order?" asked Das.