Rath Yatra: Administrative probe into Puri stampede begins

Puri/Bhubaneswar: A day after the stampede in Puri in which three persons were killed and 50 others injured, Odisha's Development Commissioner (DC) Anu Garg on Monday started the administrative probe into the incident.

Garg, who is also the Additional Chief Secretary (ACS) has been entrusted with the inquiry into the stampede tragedy near Shree Gundicha Temple in Puri during the Rath Yatra. She visited Puri and inspected the place of tragedy where the stampede took place.

"Today, I saw the spot where the stampede took place on Sunday morning. I have also discussed with the people connected with the incident. I have been allowed 30 days time to inquire into the matter," Garg told reporters at Puri.

The development commissioner also said: "I will also inquire into the circumstances under which such a very unfortunate incident took place. I will also see what more measures could be further taken to avoid such incidents in future." Apart from verifying the place of occurrence, Garg had a preliminary discussion with Arabinda Padhee, also an IAS officer, who is the chief administrator of Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA). Padheee is looking after different aspects of the Rath Yatra including rituals.

Besides, Garg also spoke to the Puri District Collector and SP. She had a preliminary discussion with police officers, personnel of Jagannath Temple Police (JTP), senior servitors and also some media persons.

While Garg completed her first visit to Puri on Monday, sources said she will start the next phase of inquiry after the completion of the Rath Yatra festival on July 8. She will submit the report to Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on the stampede incident in a month.

Law Minister Prithiviraj Harichandan said that the government has so far transferred the Collector and SP of Puri besides placing two police officers under suspension on charge of dereliction of duty. "The government will certainly take action based on the findings of the administrative inquiry conducted by the Development Commissioner," the minister said.

Meanwhile, Congress rejected the Odisha government's order for an administrative inquiry into the incident and demanded a judicial inquiry by the Puri District Judge.

The BJD held the state government "completely responsible" for the chaos in Puri and the stampede. The party demanded the resignation of Deputy Chief Minister Parvathi Parida, who was heading a ministerial committee to oversee rath yatra affairs and Law Minister Prithviraj Harichandan. The Jagannath Temple in Puri is under the Law Department of the state government.

Addressing a press conference, BJD spokesperson Lenin Mohanty on Monday alleged that there were no administrative officers or policemen present during the place of stampede even as the record says that 22 platoons (1 platoon comprise 30 personnel) or 660 police personnel were deployed near Shree Gundicha Temple.

"The state government is fully responsible for the loss of three devotees' lives and the injury of more than 50 others in the stampede The state government addressed the situation only after BJD president Naveen Patnaik reacted. The government hastily changed the District Magistrate and SP and tried to remove the blame from its own head," Mohanty alleged.

The BJD raised questions on the deployment of hundreds of AI cameras and CCTV cameras for monitoring the Rath Yatra if they were not used during the crisis. "If there were so many systems, then how did such an incident happen? The government should provide insurance coverage for all the devotees coming to Puri during the Rath Yatra in the coming days," the BJD leader said.