Bhubaneswar: Leader of opposition and BJD president Naveen Patnaik on Sunday termed the stampede in Puri as a glaring incompetence by the govt in crowd management, while Congress attributed it to undue favour shown to BJP workers to gather around chariots.“Today’s stampede, occurring just a day after the abysmal failure of crowd management during the Rath Yatra that left hundreds injured, exposes the govt’s glaring incompetence in ensuring a peaceful festival for devotees,” Naveen wrote on X.Quoting eyewitness reports, he added that the initial response to the tragedy came from the devotees’ relatives, with no govt machinery present to manage the surging crowds, highlighting a shocking lapse in duty.“The inordinate delay in pulling the Nandighosha chariot on Rath Yatra day was conveniently attributed to ‘Mahaprabhu’s Wish’, a shocking excuse that masks the administration’s complete abdication of responsibility. While I refrain from accusing the govt of criminal negligence, their blatant callousness undeniably contributed to this tragedy. I urge the govt to implement urgent corrective measures to ensure the smooth conduct of Adapa Bije, Bahuda, Suna Besha and other key #RathYatra rituals,” Naveen wrote.He said, “I extend my heartfelt condolences to the families of the three devotees who lost their lives in the tragic stampede at Saradhabali, #Puri, and I pray to Mahaprabhu Jagannatha for the swift recovery of the devotees injured in this devastating incident.”Echoing him, state Congress president Bhakta Charan Das said the entire arrangement for the festival, including security, was VVIP- and BJP worker-centric. “It should have been devotee-centric, but it was not so. Thousands of BJP workers from all over the country made unauthorised entry close to the chariot perimeter, swelling the crowd and pushing other devotees to the brink. Uncountable delegates made their way into the VVIP dais as well. It is highly condemnable,” Das said.BJP countered the opposition allegations and said that strong action was taken against the negligent officers and more action is awaited as an inquiry is underway. “The incident is being thoroughly probed. All lapses will be identified and negligence will not be viewed lightly,” law minister Prithiviraj Harichandan told the media.
