Lord Balabhadra Pahandi mishap: Odisha govt to perform remedial worship

Odisha government will perform a remedial worship for the unfortunate mishap during of Lord Balabhadra's Adapa Mandapa pahandi ritual on the occasion of the previous Rath Yatra in Puri, informed Law Minister Prithviraj Harichandan on Saturday.

According to the Minister, whatever had happened was an accident and it occurred due to some negligence.

“However, Lord Balabhadra didn’t fall on the ground and He was supported on the back of the servitors. The unfortunate incident happened as the ‘Pata Dori’ slipped. It happened due to some negligence. A probe committee was formed to carry out an investigation in this regard and they have already submitted their report to the temple management. We will review it soon and take action accordingly,” said Harichandan.

“Discussion in this regard has been held with the Mukti Mandap pundits. A remedial worship for the unfortunate mishap of Lord Balabhadra will be performed after a suitable time is fixed by the Mukti Mandap pundits,” he added.

After the incident during the last Rath Yatra in Puri, there was widespread outrage among devotees across the globe against the servitors for their alleged negligence that led to the mishap. As many as seven servitors were injured in the mishap during the ‘Pahandi Bije’ ritual.

Subsequently, the probe committee was formed to submit its inquiry report. Though the probe committee has already submitted its investigation report to the temple management, the report has been termed as incomplete. The committee has been asked to go through the videos minutely again and give specific and pinpointed reasons for the mishap.