Bhubaneswar, July 17 (IANS) The Odisha government has confirmed the deaths of two devotees but denied reports of any stampede-like incident during the annual Rath Yatra festival, which commenced in the holy coastal town of Puri with the participation of lakhs of pilgrims from across the state, the country and abroad.As per an official statement issued by the Chief Minister's Office (CMO), the world famous Ratha Yatra 2026 of Mahaprabhu Shree Jagannath, Mahaprabhu Balabhadra, Devi Subhadra and Chakraraj Sudarshana was celebrated on Thursday in Puri with immense religious fervour, devotion and exemplary administrative coordination.It also added that despite persistent rainfall and inclement weather conditions throughout the day, the festival witnessed an estimated eight to nine lakh devotees from across Odisha, the country and abroad, reflecting the unparalleled faith of devotees in the deities.

"All the sacred rituals connected with the festival, including the pulling of the three chariots, were conducted smoothly and completed as planned. Govardhan Peethadheeshwar Jagadguru Shankaracharya also came to the chariots and offered prayers. The state government made comprehensive and multi-layered arrangements for the successful conduct of the festival," the CMO said in the statement.The state government also informed that extensive planning was undertaken well in advance, involving all stakeholder departments, including Police, Health, Fire Services, Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force (ODRAF), National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), Transport, Municipal Administration, Public Health Engineering, Energy and other line departments.Round-the-clock monitoring, deployment of adequate security personnel, extensive CCTV coverage, public announcement systems, traffic regulation, sanitation measures, drinking water facilities, emergency response teams and medical infrastructure ensured that devotees could participate in the festival safely and conveniently.

The Odisha government claimed that considering the unprecedented gathering of devotees and the continuous rainfall, instances of fatigue, dehydration, suffocation and minor health-related discomfort were reported during the course of the day."During the course of the festival, seven persons felt unwell and were immediately evacuated by the deployed personnel and shifted to the hospital without delay. Among them, one male devotee aged above 60 years unfortunately succumbed, and the exact cause of death is being ascertained by the concerned authorities," the state government said.As per the CMO, in a separate and an unrelated incident, a male devotee aged above 35 years suffered a cardiac arrest and, despite immediate medical intervention, unfortunately passed away.Besides, many devotees became unwell due to incessant rain-induced illness who were given medical treatment at hospital and were discharged after proper medical treatment.

"The overall conduct of the festival remained peaceful, orderly and well managed. There was no incident of stampede or any systemic breakdown of crowd management," the government clarified.The coordinated efforts of the administration, security agencies, servitors and volunteers ensured uninterrupted movement of devotees.The situation remained normal throughout the festival, with all essential services functioning effectively.Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi expressed his heartfelt gratitude to the servitors and thanked the lakhs of devotees for their patience, discipline and cooperation, which greatly contributed to the peaceful and successful celebration of the festival.The Chief Minister reaffirmed the state government's unwavering commitment to ensuring that every devotee experiences the sacred festival with safety, dignity and convenience through continuous improvement in infrastructure, public services and administrative preparedness.

/IANS