The Opposition Biju Janata Dal on Friday sought a judicial inquiry, monitored by a siting judge of the Orissa High Court, into the alleged mismanagement in this year’s Puri Rath Yatra resulting in the death of three devotees and injuries to 750 others in the stampede due to poor crowd control measures.
A delegation of top leaders of the regional party led by senior leader Debi Prasad Mishra called on Governor Kambhampati Hari Babu and sought his intervention for initiation of a judicial inquiry into Rath Yatra lapses.
The state government has announced an administrative inquiry by the development commissioner. “This is grossly inadequate and not commensurate with the seriousness of the tragedy”, the BJD in memorandum to the Governor stated.
“We request for the immediate initiation of a judicial inquiry, monitored by a siting judge of the Orissa High Court to ensure full accountability and justice for the victims,” the memorandum said.
The regional party further alleged that callous and casual altitude of the BJP-led government resulted in the tragic deaths and injuries to devotees.
The entre Rath Yatra witnessed severe traffic and crowd mismanagement, leading to bottlenecks, stranded pilgrims, and obstructed emergency services, putting public safety at a grave risk, BJD said in the memorandum.
Additionally, the indiscriminate distribution of over 10,000 cordon passes by the ruling BJP party to its affiliates and supporters, far beyond practical limits, caused major disruption in crowd control and contributed directly to the tragedy, it said.
There were multiple preparatory meetings at Chief Minister’s level held for the smooth management and a hassle-free Rath Yatra this year.
Besides it, the Chief Minister of Odisha and the Law Minister said time and again that the state administration has taken all measures to ensure an incident-free Rath Yatra in the pilgrim town of Puri this year and all the devotees and visitors would have a divine experience. The inter-ministerial group headed by Deputy CM formed exclusively for monitoring the Rath Yatra preparation was unable to do so and monitor the preparedness properly, it said.
Stating that Shree Jagannath Temple has been functioning without its statutory managing committee for the past eight months, the memorandum pointed out that it disrupted key administrative and policy decisions.
As mandated under the Shree Jagannath Temple Act, 1954, the MC is crucial for approving matters related to rituals, finance, and temple management. Its absence posed additional challenges, as it is traditionally the managing committee that finalizes the rituals, arrangements, and guidelines for the Ratha Yatra.
“Immediate reconstitution of the MC is essential to uphold the sanctity and efficient governance of the holy shrine”, BJD said in its memorandum.
