Bhubaneswar/Puri: After transferring Puri Collector and SP, the Odisha government on Sunday appointed IAS officer Aravind Agrawal as in charge of overall supervision of the annual Rath Yatra of Lord Jagannath in Puri.
“Aravind Agrawal, lAS(RR-2007),Commissioner-cum-Secretary to Government, Higher Education Department with additional charge of Special Secretary to Government, Sports & YS Department is allowed to remain in charge of overall supervision of the Car Festival, Puri in addition to his own duties,” an official notification.
Heads had rolled after a stampede near Puri’s Gundicha Temple early this morning claimed three lives and left six injured, casting a shadow on the celebrations.
Earlier in the day, the government appointed IAS officer and Khurda collector Chanchal Rana as Puri Collector replacing Siddharth Shankar Swain, who has been shifted to the General Administration department as OSD Similarly, IPS officer Pinak Mishra, currently serving as STF DIG, was appointed as the new SP in place of Vinit Agrawal.
DCP Bishnu Pati and Commandant Ajay Padhi were also suspended for negligence of duty.
Also Read: Saradhabali Stampede: Puri Collector & SP Removed; Rs 25L Ex-Gratia For Deceased Devotees
Chief Minister Mohan Majhi, who termed the incident as an ‘unforgivable negligence’, has also ordered an administrative Inquiry under the supervision of Development Commissioner into the safety lapses. “Mahaprabhu’s Rath Yatra is a matter of pride and honor for the Odia community. No negligence will be tolerated in this regard. Exemplary actions will be taken against all responsible individuals and robust safeguards will be put in place to prevent such tragedies in the future,” he said.
Also Read: Odisha CM Calls Saradhabali Stampede ‘Unforgivable Negligence’, Apologises To Jagannath Devotees
Majhi also announced an ex-gratia of Rs 25 lakh each for the next of kin of the deceased devotees.
“I and my government seek forgiveness from all Jagannath devotees. We express our condolences to the families of devotees who lost their lives… pray to Mahaprabhu Jagannath to grant them the strength to bear this profound sorrow,” the CM had earlier posted on X.
Meanwhile, Odisha Police have cautioned people about heavy inflow of vehicles towards Puri since early morning. “Citizens may face waiting time of more than 2 hours. This may be considered while planning to come towards Puri,” a post on X said.
The Odisha government has been facing the heat from the Opposition over alleged mismanagement since beginning of the Jagannath Yatra on Friday, which saw inordinate delay in the chariot pulling ritual after Taladhwaja of Lord Balabhadra deviated from the path and blocked the movement of two others. The Nandighosa chariot of Lord Jagannath moved a few metres from Singhadwara of Shree Jagannath temple after which the chariot pulling was stalled for the night.
The chaos was attributed to excessive cordon passes issued to the ruling party workers.
Attributing the delay in chariot pulling to the huge turnout of devotees which led to massive overcrowding, Law Minister Prithiviraj Harichandan had then accused the Opposition parties of indulging in cheap politics on the issue of the “leela of Lord Jagannath”.
All three chariots reached the Gundicha temple at 1.20 pm on Saturday.
This apart, over 750 people had to be hospitalised after they fell ill due overcrowding and unbearable heat. Around 230 devotees were admitted to the Infectious Disease Hospital and another 520 to the district headquarters hospital in Puri. While 12 devotees were admitted to ICU, one critically ill patient was shifted to SCB Medical College in Cuttack.
Following the stampede, former Chief Minister and BJD president Naveen Patnaik on Sunday claimed that the incident exposed the state government’s ‘glaring incompetence’ in ensuring a peaceful Rath Yatra for devotees.
Also Read: Naveen Slams Odisha Govt’s ‘Glaring Incompetence’ For Puri Saradhabali Stampede
