Bhubaneswar, June 29: In the wake of a tragic stampede near the Gundicha temple in Saradhabali, which claimed three lives and left six others injured, the Odisha government has ordered major administrative reshuffles in Puri district.

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 replaces Siddharth Shankar Swain, who has now been designated as Officer on Special Duty (OSD) in the General Administration and Public Grievance Department. The new role carries the status of an Additional Secretary in the IAS cadre.

Simultaneously, Vinit Agrawal, the incumbent Superintendent of Police (SP) of Puri, has been transferred. In his place, senior IPS officer Pinak Mishra—who has previously held the position—has been reinstated as SP in the rank of DIGP with immediate effect. Vinit Agrawal will now serve as OSD at the State Police Headquarters.

The swift administrative action came within hours of the early Sunday morning stampede, underlining the government’s urgency to address public concerns and ensure effective crowd management.

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