Odisha Opposition Leader Urges Action After Rath Yatra Idol Fall

Opposition leader Naveen Patnaik wrote to Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi urging action after Lord Balabhadra's idol fell during the Rath Yatra festival. Patnaik highlighted the deep emotional impact on devotees and criticized the government's handling of the situation. Calls for accountability and further precautions were made.

Naveen Patnaik, the BJD supremo and Leader of Opposition in the Odisha Assembly, on Thursday urged Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi to take swift action against those responsible for the fall of the Lord Balabhadra idol during the Rath Yatra festival.

Patnaik, a former chief minister, stated that the incident has profoundly hurt the sentiments of devotees globally. Emphasizing the significance of Lord Jagannath as a symbol of Odia pride and identity, he condemned the occurrence during the 'Pahandi' ritual as unprecedented, noting it had no previous parallel in the festival's history.

At least nine servitors were injured in the mishap while moving the heavy wooden idol from the chariot to the Gundicha temple. Patnaik criticized some cabinet members' comments on the sensitive issue, claiming they exacerbated the grief of the Jagannath devotees. He called for the chief minister's personal intervention to prevent such incidents in the future.

Additionally, Senior BJP leader Bhartruhari Mahtab questioned the presence of a large crowd on the chariot at the time and called for accountability. Advocates lodged a complaint in Bhubaneswar against the temple's chief administrator, V V Yadav, for his absence during the ritual.