Puri Rath Yatra: BJD demands judicial inquiry into mismanagement, seeks intervention by Governor

Ahead of Bahuda Yatra, Odisha's opposition Biju Janata Dal on Friday, 4 July, demanded a judicial inquiry into alleged gross mismanagement during this year’s rath yatra on 27 June, in which three people died in a stampede near the Shree Gundicha Temple in Puri.

Bahuda Yatra, scheduled for Saturday, 5 July, marks the return journey of the deities to their original abode after the nine-day annual sojourn that began on 27 June.

Terming the developments surrounding the festival as "deeply distressing", the BJD said the administrative inquiry announced by the state’s BJP government was grossly inadequate.

"We therefore humbly urge a judicial inquiry, monitored by a sitting judge of the Orissa High Court, to ensure full accountability and justice for the victims," the BJD said in a memorandum.

A BJD delegation, led by its senior vice-president Debi Prasad Mishra and comprising MPs, MLAs and other senior leaders, met Governor Hari Babu Kambhampati at Raj Bhavan and urged him to personally intervene and oversee the remaining events of the annual rath Yatra to prevent any further mismanagement.

The BJD said the rath yatra is the cultural soul of Odisha and not just a mere religious event.

"The pain, grief, and outrage caused by the events of this year are profoundly felt across communities. We place our trust in your wisdom and constitutional authority to take immediate and appropriate action in the larger interest of the people and the devotees of Lord Jagannath across the globe," the BJD said.

"The manner in which the BJP government conducted the Rath Yatra hurt the sentiments of the people. Due to the callous and casual attitude of the state government, more than 750 devotees were injured, and three people lost their lives the following day due to the stampede near Shree Gundicha Temple," Mishra told reporters.

The BJD blamed the tragedy partly on the indiscriminate issuance of over 10,000 cordon passes by the ruling BJP, to party workers and affiliates, far exceeding safe operational limits and contributing to overcrowding.