Bhubaneswar, June 28 (UNI) Coming down heavily on the BJP-led Odisha Government for the "chaos and glaring mismanagement" during the observance of Rath Yatra at Puri, the Opposition BJD today said Chief Minister Mohan Majhi and Law Minister Prithviraj Harichandan should own moral responsibility for the lapses and resign. The BJD also demanded the government must immediately disclose the official number of deceased and injured persons in the stampede that occurred.
Stating that this year’s Rath Yatra witnessed unprecedented disorder and mismanagement, BJD Vice President Pratap Jena said the spiritual emotions of millions of devotees who travelled from across the country and abroad to witness the divine Trinity have been deeply hurt.
The government’s assurance of a flawless Rath Yatra turned out to be "nothing more than an empty promise", he said.
Pointing out the chaos in observance of the festival of the revered deities, he said Lord Jagannath’s Nandighosha chariot did not move an inch until late evening, in "a serious breach of tradition".
The chariots of Lord Balabhadra and Goddess Subhadra too failed to cross the Balagandi Chhak.
Despite there being no provision to pull chariots after sunset, the chariot of Lord Jagannath was dragged forward by a few feet at 7:45 PM, only to symbolically fulfill ritual protocol — a move that hurt the religious sentiments of devotees, the senior BJD leader Jena said.
Ironically both the Chief Administrator of Shree Jagannath Temple and Law Minister Prithviraj Harichandan shied away from the responsibility by casually saying, “it happened according to the Lord’s will.”
BJD strongly condemned "such irresponsible statements" and reminded the state government that it is their duty to conduct the Rath Yatra with discipline and dignity.
Despite holding valid passes, journalists were denied entry into the cordon zone and were manhandled by police personnel assigned to cordon duty. Nearly seven–eight senior journalists were injured during this incident, he rued.
He also stated that even with a large police presence, devotees were left unsafe during the chariot pulling, and the traffic system completely collapsed. With over 1,000 injuries reported, at least eight individuals were admitted to ICU, and reports of two or more deaths have surfaced, he said.
He demanded the state government must immediately disclose the official number of deceased and injured persons.
BJD further blamed the government's reckless distribution of record-high cordon passes for the chaos.
Approximately 10,000 cordon passes were issued this year, many of which were distributed through party workers. Shockingly, two ministers alone issued 6,000 passes, leading to uncontrolled crowds breaching the cordon, significantly delaying the chariot pulling.
Before the Yatra began, during the Anasara period, there were reports that a few Modak which were offered to the Lord were stolen.
Notably, during last year’s Rath Yatra, Lord Balabhadra's idol had fallen during the Pahandi ceremony, an incident that emotionally affected devotees worldwide. Till date, no report has been made public to that effect even after a year.
UNI XC RN