The Odisha government fired Puri District Collector Siddharth Shankar Swain and Superintendent of Police Vinit Agrawal on Sunday in the wake of the Puri stampede that killed three people. Two other senior police officers were also suspended.
According to a statement released by the Chief Minister’s Office after a high-level meeting, Chanchal Rana, the Collector of Khordha, and Pinak Mishra, the DIGP of the Odisha Police Special Task Force (STF), have been named Puri Collector and SP, respectively.
Due to their failure to perform their duties, Commandant Ajay Padhee and DCP Vishnu Pati have been suspended.
In the meantime, the family members of three devotees who perished in the stampede would receive an ex-gratia payment of Rs 25 lakhs from Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi.
An administrative investigation into the unfortunate incident has also been launched by the Odisha government, overseen by Anu Garg, the state’s development commissioner.
The Odia people’s pride and honor lie in Lord Jagannath’s Rath Yatra. Any carelessness in this area, no matter how small, will not be accepted. All those accountable for this will face exemplary action,” CM Majhi declared.
Arvind Agrawal, the Commissioner-cum-Secretary of the Higher Education Department, has been tasked by the government with overseeing the overall management of the Puri Car Festival, which is another significant decision.
Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi apologized to Lord Jagannath’s followers after the stampede in Puri, Odisha, that killed three pilgrims. He also ordered an immediate probe into the security failures.
On his official X Twitter, CM Majhi said, “My government and I personally ask all Jagannath devotees for forgiveness.”
Majhi also offered his sympathies to the relatives of the worshippers who perished in the Saradhabali stampede close to Gundicha Temple. He asked Lord Jagannath to provide the surviving family members of the departed devotees the fortitude to endure this extreme grief.
The stampede took place between 4 and 4.30 in the morning. Pravati Das, Premkant Mohanty, and Basanti Sahoo have been identified as the deceased.
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