Bhubaneswar, (Reporterspen), Aug 13: The three-member committee appointed to investigate the fall of Lord Balabhadra from the Taladhwaja chariot during this year’s Rath Yatra began its probe on Tuesday.
The committee, which includes the Additional District Magistrate, the City Police DSP, and the Niti Administrator of the Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA), initiated its investigation by interviewing the Badagrahis (body protectors) of Lord Balabhadra. They also engaged in discussions with Khuntia and Pratihari servitors, as well as Jagannath Temple Police.
SJTA Chief Administrator Arabinda Padhee participated in the meeting via video conference.
Preliminary findings suggest that overcrowding of the chariots by unauthorized individuals and servitors may have contributed to the incident. During Pahandi, the standard practice allows for 50 servitors on Lord Jagannath’s chariot, 10 on Devi Subhadra’s chariot, and 40 on Lord Balabhadra’s chariot. However, on the day in question, at least 100 servitors were reportedly on Lord Balabhadra’s chariot.
The committee was established on July 10 and has been tasked with submitting its report by July 29. The incident, in which Lord Balabhadra fell from the chariot’s Charamala, has sparked widespread discontent among devotees from around the world.
