A day after three people were killed in a stampede near Shree Gundicha temple in Odisha’s Puri, the Congress on Monday demanded that Chief Minister Mohan Charan Manjhi and his deputy resign, taking responsibility for the tragedy, and also called for a judicial inquiry.

Alleging that the BJP prioritised billionaire Gautam Adani, who attended the Rath Yatra, over the people, the opposition party said the state government has turned Odisha’s holiest festival into a private event for “billionaires, cronies, and camera crews, at the cost of ordinary devotees”.

Congress MP Saptagiri Ulaka, making demands on behalf of the party, said there should be full disclosure of the number of deaths so that families can identify and perform their last rites with dignity. “Rs 50 lakh compensation be given to the families of the deceased and '25 lakh to the critically injured,” he said.