The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has sought an action-taken report (ATR) from the Puri Collector over negligence of the State authorities resulting in the death of one senior citizen and injury of three others at Shree Jagannath Temple at Puri within four weeks.
The rights panel has passed the order while acting on a petition filed by Supreme Court lawyer and rights activist Radhakanta Tripathy recently.
According to the complainant, on November 3, 2014, one P Tribeni Patra (62) had died and three others were taken ill allegedly due to suffocation inside the Jagannath temple on the first day of “Panchuk.”
Citing examples from the past Tripathy contended that during the same occasion on November 4, 2006 four elderly persons, including three women, were killed and 25 injured in a stampede at the same temple.
He requested the commission to investigate the cases and direct the State Government to provide safety measures and pay adequate compensation to each of the victim’s family.