BJD demands judicial inquiry into Rath Yatra mismanagement, seeks Guv's intervention

AHEAD of Bahuda Yatra, opposition BJD on Friday demanded a judicial inquiry into alleged gross mismanagement during this year's Ratha Yatra, which resulted in the deaths of three devotees in a stampede near the Shree Gundicha Temple in Puri.

- PBD BUREAU/PTI

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

Terming the developments surrounding the festival "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 apprised him of the concerns of the people and the party.