Navrangpur (Odisha) [India], June 29 (ANI): Odisha Congress president Bhakta Charan Das on Sunday blamed the lack of proper arrangements in Puri, Odisha for the stampede which occurred during the Jagannath Rath Yatra earlier today, which killed atleast 3 people, saying that 'VIP culture' harmed efforts of crowd management too.

Das drew attention to certain 'lapses,' saying that earlier the chariot had also become stuck, and insufficient efforts were being made to move it. Additionally, an event organised on Saturday night did not have proper arrangements.

'There was a large crowd this time, but the chariot of Lord Jagannath was not moving forward, and not enough efforts were made to move the chariot. In the night, an event was supposed to happen, but there were lapses in the arrangements there, too. If we see that Rath Yatra must be devotee-centric, which it was not, it is seen. VIPs came between God and devotees, nothing has happened to VIPs, they are being taken care of, I was also there, nothing happened to me,' the Odisha Congress president told ANI here.

'Such an incident to devotees is wrong, they (state government) should find the people responsible and do an investigation,' he added.

'This tragedy is a serious warning - for such large events, security arrangements and crowd management preparations must be taken seriously and thoroughly reviewed. Protecting lives is paramount, and no lapses in this responsibility are acceptable', Rahul Gandhi's post on X read.

Meanwhile, Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition (LoP) Rahul Gandhi expressed deep sorrow over the stampede, calling the tragedy a 'serious' warning. He emphasised that security arrangements and crowd management at such large gatherings must be thoroughly reviewed.

Earlier today, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi announced a financial assistance of Rs 25 lakh for the families of those who lost their lives in the tragic stampede during the Jagannath Rath Yatra in Puri.

According to a press note by the Odisha CMO, the incident occurred due to overcrowding and led to the unfortunate demise of three devotees.

The Chief Minister has ordered a detailed administrative inquiry into the incident to be conducted under the supervision of the Development Commissioner. He also directed the transfer of the District Collector and Superintendent of Police (SP). Chanchal Rana has been appointed as the new District Collector, and Pinak Mishra as the new SP. (ANI)