Bhubaneswar: Expressing concern over the death of two persons and many others falling ill during Rath Yatra in Puri July 16, the Odisha Human Rights Commission (OHRC) has asked the state government to ensure that such incidents are not repeated during the ‘Bahuda Yatra’ July 24.
The rights panel issued the direction to the Odisha government after taking a petition of Nishikanta Mishra, an advocate and human rights activist, into cognisance.
The petitioner said that a similar stampede took place during Rath Yatra last year in which three people were killed.
Mishra moved the OHRC after two persons died and many others fell ill and were hospitalised, allegedly due to a crowd surge on ‘Bada Danda’ or the Grand Road during Rath Yatra July 16.
The state government, however, dismissed the allegation of stampede and claimed that one person died of suffocation in the crowd surge and another man due to cardiac arrest.
The incidents took place at Marichikote Chhak in Puri town July ¯16 when devotees broke through barricades during the ‘Pahandi’ ritual, triggering panic and injuries.
OHRC chairperson Justice Satrughana Pujahari, in an interim order July 17, sought a report from the Puri collector. He also asked the Health and Family Welfare Department, the Puri collector, and the chief district medical officer (CDMO) to ensure proper treatment of the injured persons.
“The commission also recommends that the Home Department, Puri collector and SP see to it that such incidents do not recur during the Bahuda Yatra July 24,” the order said.
The OHRC said that during ‘Bahuda Yatra’ of Lord Balabhadra, Devi Subhadra and Lord Jagannath, authorities must ensure proper barricading, disciplined movement of devotees, and adequate deployment of security personnel.
The rights panel also instructed the Health Department to ensure timely medical treatment for all injured devotees.
Meanwhile, the opposition Biju Janata Dal (BJD), in a statement, alleged that the state’s BJP government has completely failed to provide security to the devotees participating in Rath Yatra.
“This was for the second consecutive year that the devotees died. In the last two years, at least five devotees have died killed due to irresponsibility of the government,” BJD spokesperson Lenin Mohanty alleged.
“Instead of accepting responsibility, the state government has chosen to downplay the incident by claiming that the deaths were caused by suffocation rather than a stampede,” Mohanty said.
He alleged that the government has failed to conduct a flawless RathYatra in the last three years.
The Congress also came down heavily on the state government and stated that it was the responsibility of the administration to ensure safety of devotees, in which it has “failed repeatedly”.
