17-05-2025
‘Deity displeased': Amid spate of accidents, priests urge govt to halt chopper petal showers on Badri shrine
Dehradun: Priests urged the govt to respect religious traditions and halt helicopter-based petal showers over Badrinath, following three chopper-related incidents within ten days during the Char Dham yatra.
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They argued that such acts "disrupt the sanctity of the shrine and could provoke divine displeasure".
Brijesh Sati, general secretary of the Uttarakhand Char Dham Teerth Purohit Mahapanchayat, told TOI, "We respect the technical and scientific reasons behind a mishap, but at the same time, one should not ignore religious beliefs. We strongly opposed the flying of a chopper over Badrinath on May 4, when the portals of the shrine were opened.
Lord Badrinath is in a meditative pose, and loud noise should not be allowed.
People have great faith in the almighty; therefore, they come here. No such act should be performed that can anger or annoy the almighty."
He added, "Our simple request to the govt is to avoid any such act for publicity which is not in accordance with tradition. There are other ways of publicity." He also cited a recent emergency landing by a chopper at Ukhimath due to bad weather, emphasizing the need to consider both technical and religious aspects of such operations.
Umesh Sati, head of the Brahma Kapal Teerth Purohit Panchayat Samiti, echoed the same sentiment. "Rather than flowers, tulsi is offered to Lord Badrinath, but flower petals were being showered on pilgrims from choppers, which was against religious beliefs and traditions," he said. "It was pointless to shower flower petals on the almighty or the devotees when tulsi is offered to Badrinath," he added.
On May 8, a helicopter operated by AeroTrans Services Private Limited crashed near Gangnani in Uttarkashi district, killing six people, including the pilot. The aircraft, en route to the Gangotri shrine, fell into a 200-250 metre deep gorge. Preliminary investigations suggest the rotor blades may have struck telephone cables during a controlled emergency landing attempt. On May 12, a helicopter blade struck a vehicle at the Badrinath helipad, narrowly avoiding a major accident.
