Puri king seeks CM Naveen Patnaik's intervention for Puri Rath Yatra

BHUBANESWAR: Amid public outcry over the Supreme Court’s order on Thursday to stall this year’s June 23 Rath Yatra in the wake of Covid-19 pandemic, Puri king and chairman of Jagannath temple managing committee Dibyasingha Deb on Saturday urged the state government to file a review petition. Though the state government already clarified to comply with the apex court’s order, Deb wrote to the chief minister Naveen Patnaik and appealed to the state government to “immediately” move the apex court for a modification of the judgment.
“Rath Yatra was not possible to observe only during the attacks by Mughals in 16th, 17th and 18th centuries when the deities had to be hidden in remote places. The Yatra was not stopped during natural disasters and epidemics,” the letter said.
The Gajapati Maharaja, who drew flak for allegedly not pursuing the sensitive issue with the government vigorously, said Rath Yatra can be held without congregation of devotees amid the pandemic and precautions (as suggested by temple managing committee). He said cancellation of Rath Yatra will hurt sentiments of millions of devotees.
"Rath Yatra in Puri is of special significance and it should not be stopped, even if the festival and other religious functions are not permitted elsewhere due to the Covid pandemic restrictions," king's letter said.
With June 23 Rath Yatra barely two days away, the Maharaja’s appeal to the government came two days after the SC’s order triggered massive public outage across the state. The state government on Thursday already clarified that it would comply with the apex court’s order.
“The Puri King should have made a strong stand immediately after the SC stayed the Rath Yatra. King’s letter to the government came very late. It seems he supported the government,” said Jayant Hota, a retired lecturer in Puri.
The Maharaja’s letter followed the growing demand from different quarters to hold Rath Yatra in a restricted manner. A number of applications from individuals and private organisations have been filed in the Supreme Court since Friday to review its order.
Now, all eyes are on the apex court on the fate of those applications and whether a review of the Thursday's order can really materialize in the short notice. “We know time is running out. Still, we hope the Supreme Court considers the applications and re-examines its order by Monday, a day before the festival. We appeal to the apex court to allow Rath Yatra in Puri alone in a restricted manner. Though Rath Yatra is observed across the country, Puri is revered as the real abode of Lord Jagannath. Rath Yatra of Puri has a special significance in our scriptures,” said Janardan Pattjoshi Mohapatra, the Nayak (chief) of Chhattisa Nijog, a confederation of different associations of servitors of Jagannath temple.
A group of servitors and locals staged a silent protest outside the Jagannath Temple on Saturday, demanding that the Rath Yatra be held with riders. “We realize the unprecedented crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic. But did the state government seek permission from the Centre or the SC before holding the Debasnan Purnima festival on June 5? It is also a religious function that was conducted smoothly in the absence of devotees,” temple servitor Shyamsundar Mohapatra said. “The government had imposed prohibitory orders under Section 144 of the CrPC around the temple. The Rath Yatra too can be held in a similar manner,” he added.
Echoing a similar sentiment, Congress state president Niranjan Patnaik on Saturday demanded that the Rath Yatra be held by imposing a complete shutdown in Puri. “I can understand the predicament of the state government. The government is scared of the Covid-19 situation,” he said, adding that the government should understand the emotions of the people here and convince the SC to allow the Rath Yatra by banning the congregation of people.
Union minister Dharmendra Pradhan said the Rath Yatra ‘in its normal shape’ seemed difficult this year owing to the Covid-19 pandemic. “The followers of Lord Jagannath, especially the Odias, have been deeply hurt. But still let’s wait for the wish of the almighty till Monday,” Pradhan added.
Senior BJD leader and former minister Prafulla Ghadai said, “People should respect the SC order; it is the law of the land.”