On July 4, senior IPS officers and more than 4,000 policemen of the Rapid Action Force deployed in the state were stationed in the temple town of Puri for the smooth conduct of the annual Rath Yatra. However, despite the strong police presence and the installation of CCTV cameras, the stampede that crushed to death six people and injured a dozen, could not be averted. Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, who, too, was present at the site of the annual festival, immediately ordered an administrative probe into the incident. However, the CM’s immediate response failed to make an impression as the stampede was just another facet of the ailing problem the Orissa police force has become.

The day the stampede occurred in Puri, five Japanese women were allegedly molested and robbed of their valuables right under the cops’ noses. The five were among 27 visitors from Japan who had arrived in Puri on July 2 to witness the festival. Junko Kabaya, one of the members of the group, recounted how she and her friends were surrounded from all the sides before being pushed and squeezed. “Though there were policemen, nobody helped us,” she said. Their utter lack of faith in the police was revealed when the Japanese tourists refused to lodge any police complaint as they said, “it happened before the cops”. “We will think twice before attending any Indian festival in future,” they added.

Director General of Police Gopal Chandra Nanda, however, likes everyone to believe otherwise. “Despite the best arrangements possible, accidents can happen. But we are learning from our mistakes,” he told The Indian Express.

... contd.