Bhubaneswar: The Odisha Human Rights Commission (OHRC) has issued notice to the Puri District Collector and Superintendent of Police (SP) over the stampede near Gundicha Temple that claimed the lives of three persons and left around 50 injured.
Acting on a petition filed in connection with the tragedy that happened early on Sunday, the Commission issued notice to the two senior officials of Puri district.
Asking the authorities concerned to provide proper healthcare to the injured persons, the rights panel also directed the administration to take appropriate steps to prevent similar incidents in future.
Notably, three devotees, including two women, were killed and around 50 others injured in the stampede near the chariots at Saradhabali in front of the Gundicha Temple in Puri.
Many devotees have attributed the tragic incident to poor crowd management and absence of adequate number of police personnel at Saradhabali.
Opposition Congress and BJD have come down heavily on the state government and held it responsible for the incident. Congress has demanded resignation of Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, Deputy CM Pravati Parida and Law Minister Prithviraj Harichandan.
Following the stampede, the state government has suspended two police officials for dereliction of duty and transferred Puri Collector and SP with immediate effect.
The Chief Minister has announced a compensation of Rs 25 lakh each to the bereaved families. Besides, the state government has asked Development Commissioner to probe the incident and submit a report within 30 days.
