Bhubaneswar, (Orissa Today), July 10: Puri Gajapati Maharaja Dibyasingha Deb expressed deep concern on Wednesday regarding the mishap involving Lord Balabhadra during the ‘Adap Mandap Bije’ ceremony on Tuesday.
Addressing reporters, Puri Gajapati Maharaj remarked that the incident, witnessed globally, has deeply saddened devotees of Lord Jagannath. He emphasized that such visuals had not been witnessed before. “The administration will conduct a thorough investigation into the matter,” he assured. “Today, during the Managing Committee meeting, we discussed at length the necessary steps that the administration and servitors must take to prevent such incidents from recurring.”
The Puri King further mentioned that the servitors have learned from this incident and are committed to preventing its recurrence. “Specific issues like the presence of additional sevayats during Pahandi and on chariots were deliberated upon in the meeting,” he added. “Decisions will be made to ensure that such incidents do not happen in the future.”
Chief Administrator of Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA), Vir Vikram Yadav, also commented on the meeting, stating that all committee members expressed concern over Tuesday’s mishap during the ‘Adap Mandap Bije’ pahandi.
“We discussed every aspect, including the events of yesterday,” Yadav explained. “A three-member committee will be formed to review all video footage, including drone footage, to ascertain who was present and whether all designated personnel fulfilled their roles.”
Yadav elaborated that the committee will consist of an Additional District Magistrate (ADM), an Administrator (Development), and a deputy superintendent-level official.
