BJD seeks judicial probe into Puri stampede; bid to politicise tragedy: BJP
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A BJD delegation of MLAs, former ministers and senior leaders, submitted a memorandum to governor Hari Babu Kambhampati at Raj Bhavan, highlighting alleged mismanagement in Rath Yatra.
"It is deeply distressing to see the poor management of Rath Yatra. A series of grave incidents, including the misuse of cordon passes, traffic mismanagement, faulty crowd control measures and fatal stampede deeply hurt the sentiments of devotees across the globe," former minister Debi Prasad Mishra said.
Pratap Jena, another former minister, criticised the govt's administrative investigation, saying, "We believe this administrative inquiry is grossly inadequate. We humbly urge the immediate initiation of a judicial inquiry, monitored by a sitting judge of Orissa high court to ensure full accountability and justice for the victims."
Law minister Prithiviraj Harichandan said the govt had promptly intervened and has taken disciplinary action against those responsible.
"The administrative inquiry is under way by the development commissioner. BJD has stooped low to elicit cheap political mileage from the tragic incident. Mismanagement in temple related matters was at the worst during the BJD govt's tenure," Harichandan said.
In a related development, the govt has requested public assistance in sharing information and evidence regarding the Puri stampede by July 20. Through a public notice, the state planning and convergence department requested people to share details, video footage or other materials for a thorough investigation.
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