States » SouthPosted at: Jun 30 2025 8:21PM


Surjewala blames VIP culture for Puri tragedy

Bengaluru, June 30 (UNI) Launching a sharp attack on the BJP-led Odisha government over the recent stampede during the Lord Jagannath Rath Yatra in Puri, AICC General Secretary and Karnataka Congress in-charge Randeep Singh Surjewala today declared that in the abode of Lord Jagannath, "nobody is a VIP".
“Can the BJP tell us why they are making VIP entries even into the abode of the Lord?” Surjewala asked in a charged statement to the media in Bengaluru, calling the incident a shameful example of the dangers of VIP culture overriding public safety at sacred events.
He said the tragedy, which claimed multiple lives, was not just a matter of administrative failure but reflected a systemic neglect of crowd safety and a misplaced priority on political protocol.
Surjewala alleged that the stampede occurred in part because access for ordinary devotees was blocked to facilitate VIP movement.
“This VIP syndrome must end. Public events, especially religious ones, cannot be turned into corridors of privilege,” he said.
He accused the Odisha government of failing to act despite early warning signs. “The tarpaulin on which people were sitting had turned dangerously slippery due to rain and slush. Devotees were already falling the night before. Why was no precaution taken?” he asked.
Further criticizing the handling of the event, Surjewala said there was only one route for both entry and exit, and that too was allegedly blocked for VIP access, leaving no escape path for the general crowd.
He added that emergency services were grossly inadequate. “Ambulances were parked a kilometre away. Injured devotees had to be physically carried by other pilgrims. There was no police or administrative presence on the ground,” he claimed.
Surjewala also alleged that two trucks were inexplicably allowed in front of Lord Jagannath’s chariot, one of which hit devotees and triggered panic. “Why were vehicles permitted to move ahead of the chariot in such a densely packed crowd?” he questioned.
Drawing comparisons, Surjewala challenged the BJP's silence over the Puri tragedy. “They question us in Karnataka over stampedes, and we take responsibility. But why are BJP leaders silent when a tragedy happens in Odisha? This cannot be about ‘your tragedy versus my tragedy’,” he remarked.
Calling for a national reform in crowd management, Surjewala proposed the creation of a State Crowd Safety Task Force in every state, to be funded jointly with the Centre bearing 50 percent of the cost.
The task force, he said, should include police, home guards, disaster management officials, local bodies, and event organizers.
He urged the Union Government to formulate countrywide standard operating procedures (SOPs) for crowd management, adaptable to local needs. He emphasized the use of modern tools such as AI, drones, CCTV monitoring, predictive analytics, and dedicated control rooms to prevent stampedes.
He suggested categorizing events based on expected crowd size—green (below 10,000), orange (10,000–50,000), and red (above 50,000)—with red events requiring mandatory approvals from police, fire, PWD, and enforcement of strict safety protocols.
Surjewala also proposed that VIP entries should be mandatorily separated by at least 300 metres from public entry points to avoid overcrowding and panic.
"These are not just suggestions for Karnataka but for the entire country. We urge Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah to act now. Let this tragedy be the last of its kind," he concluded.
UNI BDN SS
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