Biju Janata Dal (BJD) president and former Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Saturday criticised the state government over the death of a devotee during the Bahuda Yatra in Puri, alleging that the administration has failed to address recurring safety lapses during the annual Rath Yatra.
The criticism came after Abhiram Das, a devotee from Cuttack, reportedly fell ill and collapsed while pulling Devi Subhadra’s Darpadalan chariot during the Bahuda Yatra on Friday. He was rushed to a hospital, where doctors declared him dead.
Expressing grief over the incident, Patnaik conveyed his condolences to the bereaved family and wished a speedy recovery to those injured during the crowd-related incident.
Naveen questions recurring accidents during Rath Yatra
In a strongly worded statement, the former Chief Minister questioned why accidents, stampedes and deaths continue to occur during the world-famous Rath Yatra despite it being one of Odisha’s largest annual religious gatherings.
He alleged that the government has failed to strengthen crowd management and safety arrangements despite similar incidents in previous years.
“Why do such accidents keep occurring repeatedly during Rath Yatra? Why is the government functioning in such a careless manner?” Patnaik said.
He further alleged that the administration had not given adequate priority to ensuring the safe conduct of Lord Jagannath’s nine-day annual festival and accused it of failing to learn from past shortcomings.
‘Government not learning from past mistakes’
Patnaik claimed that repeated mishaps during the festival reflect a lack of long-term planning and effective safety measures.
“It feels as though this government has no inclination to learn from past mistakes. One after another, accidents are happening every year during Rath Yatra—people are losing their lives, the state is being discredited—but there is no change whatsoever in the government’s approach. Rather than learning from errors, it seems like everything is being handled with a stopgap policy,” he said.
He also questioned how many more such incidents would be required before stronger preventive measures are implemented.
Calls for stronger safety measures during remaining Rath Yatra rituals
The BJD president urged the state government to ensure robust crowd management and safety arrangements for the remaining Rath Yatra rituals, including Suna Besha and Niladri Bije, to prevent any further loss of life.
He appealed to the administration to take all necessary precautions so that devotees can participate in the remaining festivities safely while seeking the blessings of Lord Jagannath.
