Former Odisha Chief Minister and Biju Janata Dal President Naveen Patnaik on Thursday (July 11) urged Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi to take personal responsibility of the mishap, wherein idol of Lord Balabhadra slipped on the makeshift ramp while the servitors were conducting the pahandi procession in Puri a couple of days ago.
“I would like to request you to ensure that such lapses don’t happen again. I hope your exemplary steps in this regard will help assuage the devotees,” said BJD President Patnaik in a letter addressed to CM Majhi on Thursday.
Patnaik condemns State Cabinet members for their dismissive remarks
Moreover, in the letter, describing the deity as the supreme guardian of Odias, the BJD President Naveen remarked that the mishap during the Pahandi was without precedent. He further also condemned the comments made by certain ministers post the incident. He stated that the casual remarks by a few ministers have further pained the devotees of the Lord.
“What happened during ‘Adapa Mandap Bije Pahandi’ has not happened in the thousands of years of Rath Yatra tradition. It has deeply hurt the sentiments of devotees all over the world. However, the comments of certain ministers have doubled the grief of Lord Jagannath’s devotees,” the BJD President added.
Significantly, Patnaik's statement comes after Odisha Deputy CM Pravati Parida and Law Minister Prithviraj Harichandan earlier termed the incident minor and attributed it to the will of God.
"It was a minor accident and the divine play of the Lord," the Odisha Cabinet Ministers said in a statement to the media earlier.
About 9 Injured in accident
Meanwhile, it is pertinent to note that at least nine servitors sustained injuries when Lord Balabhadra's idol slipped and fell on them during the post-Rath Yatra ceremony. Puri Collector Siddharth Shankar Swain said five of the nine servitors of Puri Jagannath temple have been admitted to the hospital, while the other four suffered minor injuries.
Notably, the mishap occurred when the heavy wooden idol was being brought down from Lord Balabhadra’s chariot and taken to the Gundicha Temple. This ritual is known as ‘Pahandi’.
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