Elephants out of control amid Ahmedabad Rath Yatra, several injured in stampede-like panic

Chaos broke out during the 148th annual Jagannath Rath Yatra in Ahmedabad on Friday morning after three elephants broke away from the procession and ran through a densely crowded stretch in the Khadia area. The incident took place around 10:15 am, prompting a stampede-like situation as devotees rushed to safety through narrow lanes.

#Panic erupted during #Ahmedabad’s #RathYatra as 3 elephants broke away from the procession in #Khadia, causing chaos in the crowded area. Devotees ran for safety, triggering a #stampede-like situation.

Read: https://t.co/wsMY7H4oq8#Chaos #Accident #Gujarat #RathaYatra2025 pic.twitter.com/OBjFZMOwdS

— Taaza TV (@taazatv) June 27, 2025

According to officials, one of the decorated elephants suddenly veered off the designated path and charged in the opposite direction, triggering panic. Two more elephants reportedly strayed from the group shortly after. Mahouts and police personnel on duty attempted to regain control, while authorities ordered an immediate halt to all whistle-blowing to prevent further agitation among the animals.

Eyewitnesses at the scene described the sudden shift in atmosphere as people scattered in panic. "One minute we were cheering, the next there were elephants charging," said Ramesh Bhai, a regular attendee of the yatra. Meena Patel, another devotee, said, "It was terrifying, but the police and mahouts acted swiftly. They managed to give the elephants an injection, and they calmed down."

The procession, flagged off earlier by Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel after performing the traditional Pahind ceremony, included 18 elephants, 101 decorated trucks, 30 akhadas, 18 bhajan mandlis, and thousands of devotees. Union Home Minister Amit Shah and his family were present at the Jamalpur Jagannath Temple for the Mangala Aarti ahead of the yatra’s start.

Around 14 to 15 lakh devotees were expected to line the 16-kilometre route of the yatra. To manage the crowd, the state deployed nearly 23,800 security personnel. An AI-based surveillance system was introduced for the first time to monitor real-time crowd movement and assist in preventing stampedes. Despite the panic, no fatalities were reported till the latest update, though several injuries occurred due to the sudden rush.