Odisha CM Majhi Visits Puri Post-Stampede to Ensure Safe Rath Yatra

Puri, Jul 1 (PTI) — In response to the tragic incident resulting in the deaths of three devotees in a stampede near Shree Gundicha Temple in Puri, Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi arrived in the pilgrim town on Tuesday to evaluate the preparations for the upcoming Rath Yatra rituals.

Majhi is set to meet with stakeholders involved in the Rath Yatra activities, as confirmed by officials.

Following the stampede that occurred on Sunday, the Chief Minister personally issued an apology to the devotees.

Determined to ensure a seamless completion of the remaining rituals, including the 'Bahuda Yatra' (return car festival), 'Suna Besha' (golden attire), and 'Niladri Bije' (deities' entry to the main temple), Majhi is taking proactive steps.

Prior to the Chief Minister’s arrival, Law Minister Prithiviraj Harichandan engaged in an extensive discussion with senior servitors to address their concerns, which included restrictions on climbing the chariots, housing issues, and their children's education.

The Jagannath Temple in Puri operates under the jurisdiction of the state government's law department.

“We had a detailed discussion with the law minister on different issues,” stated Khuntia servitors' leader Hajari KC Khuntia to reporters.

He added, “The servitors are pained by the denial of permission to climb the chariots.

The administration restricts access to on-duty servitors only.

We have demanded that everyone be allowed to climb the chariots for ‘darshan’ of the deities.”

Noting that servitors assured the law minister of their commitment to perform all rituals in accordance with tradition, Khuntia mentioned that they are scheduled to meet with the Chief Minister later in the day.

Accompanied by the law minister, Majhi is also set to convene a meeting with the Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) to guarantee the smooth execution of upcoming events, according to official sources.

The Chief Minister's primary goal is to ensure that the remainder of the festival proceeds without incidents, leaving lakhs of devotees with a "feel-good experience," an official expressed.

In response to the stampede, the state government has reassigned both the district collector and SP from Puri and suspended two senior police officers on charges of dereliction of duty.

The government has also appointed experienced officers to manage the Rath Yatra affairs.

Meanwhile, Development Commissioner Anu Garg initiated an administrative inquiry into the stampede on Monday.

She is tasked with submitting the inquiry report within 30 days.

(Only the headline of this report may have been reworked by Editorji; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)