Puri temple stampede: Odisha govt transfers district collector, SP; 2 cops suspended
Bhubaneswar (PTI): In a punitive measure following the Puri temple stampede that left three people dead and nearly 50 injured on Sunday, Chief Minister Mohan Majhi ordered the transfer of District Collector Siddharth Shankar Swain and SP Vineet Agrawal.
Terming the “negligence” leading to the stampede as “unpardonable”, Majhi also announced the suspension of two police officers – DCP Bishnu Pati and Commandant Ajay Padhi – an official release said.
The CM appointed Khurda District Collector Chanchal Rana as the new collector of Puri. Agrawal will be replaced by Pinak Mishra as Puri SP.
Majhi also ordered an administrative inquiry into the matter to be carried out under the supervision of the development commissioner.
The Odisha government will provide financial assistance of Rs 25 lakh each to the next of kin of the deceased, the release added.
At least three persons, including two women, were killed and around 50 others injured in a stampede near Shree Gundicha Temple in Odisha’s Puri on Sunday morning, officials said.
The incident took place around 4 am when hundreds of devotees gathered near the temple to witness Rath Yatra festivities, they said.
Chaos ensued after two trucks carrying materials for rituals reportedly entered the crowded spot near the chariots of Lord Jagannath and his sibling deities.
Devotees in large numbers had assembled outside the temple since the early hours to catch a glimpse of the deities when the ‘Pahuda’ (cloth) covering their faces was to be removed, as part of the rituals, they said.
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Remarks against St Francis Xavier: Right-wing speaker Gautam Khattar gets bail
Panaji (PTI): A court in Goa on Saturday granted bail to right-wing speaker Gautam Khattar, who was arrested after he allegedly made derogatory comments against St Francis Xavier.
Judicial Magistrate First Class, Vasco, granted regular bail to Khattar, currently admitted to Goa Medical College and Hospital at Bambolim for treatment of chest pain after he was shifted from the District Hospital in Mapusa two days back.
A row erupted after a video of remarks by Khattar, the founder of Sanatan Mahasangh, at an event on April 18 in the presence of Swami Brahmeshanand, State Transport Minister Mauvin Godinho and BJP MLAs Sankulp Amonkar and Daji (Krishna) Salkar, went viral.
St Francis Xavier is revered as the patron saint of Goa.
The controversial remarks led to the Vasco Police registering an FIR against Khattar on charges of hurting religious sentiments and creating enmity between groups.
He was detained in Kullu, Himachal Pradesh, by local police. His custody was later handed over to the Goa Crime Branch, according to officials.
