BY PRASANTA KU. DASH
Bhubaneswar, July 2: The tragic stampede during the Rath Yatra, in Puri, the world heritage owing to Lord Jagannath that took place in the intervening hours on June 27 was a crucial litmus test for the Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA), Puri district admin, Odisha police and the state government as a whole.
Belated rituals and meagre movement of Lord Jagannath’s Nandighosh chariot that too, late after the evening were though managed for the vibes of tens of thousands of devotees gathered here that reverberated the shrine, the tragic incident of stampede, left the festivity with tears and shock waves, as 3 crushed to death leaving scores of devotees critically injured.
Amid reviewing the probable causes behind the unexpected incident, lapses in administrative wills, weak vigil of police and lack of co-ordination between the stakeholders & the SJTA authorities in the vicinity of the Saradhabali came to fore.
With the tragic stampede, the Mohan Majhi-led Odisha government that had earlier assured of smooth conduct of the Puri Rath Yatra, Bahuda and Niladribije(the homecoming of the holy deities) with zero casualty to around 4.5 crore Odias and devotees across the world, was proved absolutely futile.
Prettily before the inventory of Ratna Bhandar in June 2024, the Odisha government had took the task Rath Yatra & Bahuda Yatra overhead to celebrate them uniquely, as BJP constituted the Odisha Cabinet for the first time. Not that, the newly formed government had made blank promises in the name of Lord Jagannath rather it had endeavoured a lot to make this year festivity more majestic and remarkable. Frequent sessions of meetings and reviews were hold by the government with the Chhatisa Nijogs, SJTA authorities, ASI, Puri district administration, Police and Temple Managing committee, to garner everyone’s co-ordination and co-operation, to make the worldclass spiritual event unprecedently classic.
As the celebration approached, Chief Minister Mohan Majhi, accompanied by his two Deputies & a panel of ministers, Chief Secretary, SJTA’s Chief Administrator, DGP, district Collector, SP, the Gajapati and servitors, among other stakeholders worked out a comprehensive blueprint to make Rath Yatra 2025, a magnificent occasion.
While, the basic rituals of Rath Yatra 2025 began from the Saraswati Puja, the Rath Katha Anukula (sanctification of wood logs) began on the Akshaya Tritiya, following this contingents of wood trunks for Rath were collected from the Dasapalla forest in Nayagarh and later from the Ganjam forests. Similarly, with the govt’s direct supervision the Devasnana Purnima (Snana Yatra) of lord Jagannath was meticulously performed on June 11, followed by the Anabasara Niti the next day(Anasara ritual) and Naba Jouban Besha, performed on June 26. The efficiencies of government’s willpower, SJTA, Temple managing Committee, servitors, Chhatisa Nijogs and district admin with police, became instrumental in these occasions, as all of them worked altogether, as on the roadmap drawn out for the prime rituals.
The, Rath Yatra, the prime festivity that draws attention and footfalls of of devotees in crore, unfortunately brought a bitter experience for the victims when a few of them lost three of their kith & kin, and some became traumatic, after they learnt their dear ones were critical in the stampede.
Following the incident, the CM himself apologized before the people, for the uneven incident and submissively admitted the sheer negligence of the workedout mechanism. On the other hand, he expressed solidarity for the deceased’s family members and announced Rs 25,000 ex-gratia for the victim’s family.
Apart from it, the Chief Minister came in heavy with the delinquent ones, who were supposed to take care of the crowd control in the wee hours of the fateful day. He transferred the Puri District Collector and SP, and replaced them with two experienced ones, who had earlier proved their efficiency in managing the Rath Yatra & Bahuda Yatra here.Similarly, two senior cops who reportedly managed the crowd so sappily that led to the mishap, were suspended for their dire negligence.
Soon after the stampede, Odisha CM Mohan Majhi visited the spot, consoled the victims in the hospital and chaired series of review meetings with the SJTA authorities where he blamed the entire network of arrangement and the entrusted officials, blaming them for the crucial incident. Meanwhile, he entrusted senior IAS Officer Aravind Agrawal, as one of the key administrators, to oversee the next rituals of the Rath Yatra.
Regarding the police management in the world-clas event, senior IPS Officer Soumendra Priyadarshi was assigned to supervise overall police mobilisation during the remaining festivals.
With the robust arrangement following the mishap, newly reshuffled Collector Puri, Chanchal Rana and newly appointed SP, Pinak Mishra, are now overseeing the crowd management and overall configuration of manpower in the susceptible points around the shrine.
While, the Chief Minister and his team are leading their ways towards hassle-free rituals including the Adapa Darshan and Bahuda Yatra, DGP Odisha YB Khurania with his dominant presence at the Police Control Room, set up on the Grand Road, is reviewing the real-time police arrangements. Police In-charge for Puri Rath Yatra, ADG S Priyadarshi with a number of other ADGPs and IGP rank officers are assisting him in deployment of cops at right place with right order, studying the field-level requirements amid the crowd.
Similarly, the Chief Secretary who is mobilising his administrative workforce, is persistently reviewing the real time ground status of the shrine, at least in every hour, is leveraging the district-level workforce, to remain vigilant while addressing untoward situations if any. Acting on it, the Puri District Collector Rana, ADM Nilamadhab Bhoi along with his team, are working round the clock, seating at the Rath Yatra Control Room at the Gundicha Temple, meant for the district admin.
Not only the bigshots, the cops, civil defence crews, fire services wings, healthcare units, social outfits, contingent of ODRAF &NDRF along with the line departments, are now seen queuing out everywhere in the Gundicha Temple and on the Grand Road where the deities have appeared for the devotees during the Adapa Mandapa rituals and, even at the sea beach where thousands of visitors gather for their maritime merriments, after offering heartfelt obeisance to Lord Jagannath and his siblings.
Ahead of the Bahuda Yatra, the secondary key-festivity of the Car Festival that’s scheduled tomorrow, in a significant step towards strengthening coordination with the servitors of Lord Jagannath, Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi today held a special meeting at the Puri Circuit House with the sevayats (temple servitors) of the Shree Jagannath Temple.
During the discussion, the Chief Minister extended heartfelt gratitude to all servitors for their disciplined and dedicated execution of rituals during the ongoing Rath Yatra. He emphasized that the smooth conduct of all rituals so far was possible only due to their cooperation and committed service to the Lord.
Chief Minister Majhi acknowledged the successful execution of the initial rituals of the annual Rath Yatra festival and reminded all that three major events — Bahuda Yatra, Suna Besha, and Niladri Bije — are still to be held.
He appealed to the servitors to continue their cooperation to ensure that devotees have a spiritually fulfilling and seamless experience throughout the remainder of the festival.
He further urged the sevayats to perform their duties with a sense of devotion and responsibility, highlighting that every individual involved in Lord Jagannath’s service plays a crucial role in preserving the sanctity and legacy of the temple traditions.
During the meeting, the servitors also presented certain long-standing demands before the Chief Minister. In response, CM Majhi assured them that their concerns would be seriously considered, and appropriate steps would be taken in consultation with the relevant authorities.
He also reiterated that his doors would always remain open to the servitors and any issues they face would be addressed through regular dialogue and cooperation.
