Odisha Govt Transfers Puri Collector and SP Following Stampede Tragedy

Bhubaneswar: In the aftermath of the tragic stampede near the Gundicha Temple in Puri that claimed three lives and left several injured, the Odisha government on Sunday issued major administrative reshuffles, transferring both the Puri District Collector and Superintendent of Police (SP) with immediate effect.

Chanchal Rana, IAS, currently serving as the Collector and District Magistrate of Khurda, has been appointed as the new Collector and District Magistrate of Puri. He will take charge from Siddharth Shankar Swain, who has been posted as Officer on Special Duty (OSD) in the General Administration and Public Grievance Department. The new role is equivalent in rank and responsibility to that of an Additional Secretary in the state’s IAS cadre.

Alongside the change in district administration, the state Home Department has also transferred Vinit Agrawal, the SP of Puri. Senior IPS officer Pinak Mishra, who had previously served as SP of the temple town, has been reappointed to the post, this time in the rank of Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIGP). Vinit Agrawal has been reassigned as Officer on Special Duty at the State Police Headquarters.

The reshuffle comes just hours after a stampede on Saradhabali near the Gundicha Temple in the early hours of Sunday, during the Rath Yatra festivities. The stampede, which reportedly occurred due to sudden crowd movement triggered by the entry of a truck into the gathering, led to the deaths of three devotees and injuries to at least six others.

The decision to transfer the top officials appears to be a swift administrative response aimed at addressing concerns over crowd management and ensuring stricter control and coordination during the remaining days of the Rath Yatra.