Bhubaneswar BJD supremo and Leader of Opposition in Odisha Assembly Naveen Patnaik on Thursday wrote to Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, urging him to take action against those responsible for the fall of idol Lord Balabhadra during the Rath Yatra festival.
Patnaik, former chief minister, said the incident "deeply hurt the sentiments of devotees across the world".
Describing Lord Jagannath as the symbol of Odia 'Asmita' (pride) and the identity of the people of Odisha, Patnaik said that the incident that occurred during Lord Balabhadra's 'Pahandi' was unprecedented and had never happened in the tradition of Rath Yatra.
The former prime minister said he could not believe his eyes that such a mishap could occur.
At least nine servants of the Puri Jagannath temple were injured on Tuesday when the idol of Lord Balabhadra fell on them while they were carrying it from the cart towards a temple as part of the Rath Yatra festival.
The incident occurred when the heavy wooden idol was being lowered from Lord Balabhadra's chariot to be taken to the Gundicha temple.
This is known as the "Pahandi" ritual.
Apparently those carrying the idol lost control of it.
"The way some members of the Odisha Cabinet made comments on such a sensitive issue has doubled the pain of Jagannatha lovers. The incident has deeply hurt the sentiments of all the devotees of the Lord. Such an insensitive approach by the government could not mitigate the hurt feelings of Jagannatha devotees," Patnaik said.
He requested the Prime Minister to personally intervene in the matter and take necessary steps to ensure that such an incident does not occur again in the future.
BJP leader and Cuttack MP Bhartruhari Mahtab questioned the presence of a large number of people in the chariot at the time of the ritual.
The deputy demanded action against the culprits.
Meanwhile, some advocates have lodged a complaint at the capital's police station in Bhubaneswar, demanding action against Jagannath temple chief administrator V V Yadav.
They allege that the chief administrator of the temple was not present there during the 'Pahandi' ritual.
Patnaik, former chief minister, said the incident "deeply hurt the sentiments of devotees across the world".
Describing Lord Jagannath as the symbol of Odia 'Asmita' (pride) and the identity of the people of Odisha, Patnaik said that the incident that occurred during Lord Balabhadra's 'Pahandi' was unprecedented and had never happened in the tradition of Rath Yatra.
The former prime minister said he could not believe his eyes that such a mishap could occur.
At least nine servants of the Puri Jagannath temple were injured on Tuesday when the idol of Lord Balabhadra fell on them while they were carrying it from the cart towards a temple as part of the Rath Yatra festival.
The incident occurred when the heavy wooden idol was being lowered from Lord Balabhadra's chariot to be taken to the Gundicha temple.
This is known as the "Pahandi" ritual.
Apparently those carrying the idol lost control of it.
"The way some members of the Odisha Cabinet made comments on such a sensitive issue has doubled the pain of Jagannatha lovers. The incident has deeply hurt the sentiments of all the devotees of the Lord. Such an insensitive approach by the government could not mitigate the hurt feelings of Jagannatha devotees," Patnaik said.
He requested the Prime Minister to personally intervene in the matter and take necessary steps to ensure that such an incident does not occur again in the future.
BJP leader and Cuttack MP Bhartruhari Mahtab questioned the presence of a large number of people in the chariot at the time of the ritual.
The deputy demanded action against the culprits.
Meanwhile, some advocates have lodged a complaint at the capital's police station in Bhubaneswar, demanding action against Jagannath temple chief administrator V V Yadav.
They allege that the chief administrator of the temple was not present there during the 'Pahandi' ritual.
