The Puri district Collector has informed the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) that the State Government has given adequate compensation to families of three devotees of Baleswar who had died due to suffocation in the Shree Jagannath Temple premises during Panchuka on November 3, 2014.
Besides, the Collector too informed that the injured have been compensated and proper arrangements made to ensure availability of bare necessities in the temple.
The NHRC had sought a reply from the Collector regarding deaths and Government actions there for while accepting a petition filed by Supreme Court lawyer and rights activist Radhakanta Tripathy. He had alleged that devotees have died in the temple due to sheer negligence of the State authorities. He requested the NHRC to direct the Government to provide safety measures and pay adequate compensation to each of the victim’s family.
In his reply, the Collector informed the commission that one Tribeni Patra aged 62 years had died following uneasiness near Dakhinikali lane on the Panchuka day. She had been taken to the District Headquarters Hospital, Puri, where she died. Doctors said she died due to cardiac problems. Her relatives had also not opted for postmortem. It appeared that death was not due to suffocation, he said in the reply.
But three other persons died due to suffocation. The Shree Jagannath Temple Administration has given Rs 1 lakh to the next of kin of each deceased through Collector, Baleswar, the Puri Collector said. Besides each injured was given Rs 14,000, he added.
He too said arrangements have been made for controlling the crowd, protection of devotees, supply of drinking water, supply of medicine in the temple campus.
Even if the NHRC expressed its satisfaction over actions taken by the SJTA, the ground reality is something different, said some devotees who frequented the temple in recent days.