'Break the legs...': Odisha officer's instruction at protest goes viral
What's the story
A senior police officer in Odisha has sparked controversy after a video of him giving an order to "break the legs" of Congress protesters went viral. The incident occurred outside the residence of CM Mohan Charan Majhi during a protest against crowd mismanagement at Puri's Shree Gundicha temple, where a stampede resulted in three deaths and 50 injuries. The protesters alleged negligence on the part of the authorities.
Clarification issued
Officer seen giving orders in viral video
The officer in question, Bhubaneswar ACP Narasingha Bhol, was supervising the police deployment. In the viral video, he is seen instructing officers at a barricade to "break the legs" of anyone who breached it. After the video circulated widely on social media, Bhol clarified that his comments were taken out of context. He explained that his order was to detain protesters at the first barricade and use force only if they breached two barricades, as breaching constituted an unlawful assembly.
Stampede
3 dead, 50 injured in Puri stampede
The tragic stampede during the annual Jagannath Rath Yatra in Puri, Odisha, left three devotees dead and 10 others injured. The incident occurred near the Shri Gundicha Temple around 4:30am on Sunday when a huge crowd of devotees had gathered to have darshan of the deity. As the crowd swelled, some people fell, and a stampede began.
Probe initiated
Odisha government launches probe into Puri stampede incident
The Odisha government has launched an administrative probe into the Puri stampede incident. State Law Minister Prithiviraj Harichandan announced that Development Commissioner Anu Garg will submit a report within 30 days. Harichandan also promised stern action against those responsible for the tragic incident. Meanwhile, all injured individuals had been discharged from a government health facility by Sunday evening, according to Puri's Chief District Medical Officer, Kishore Satapathy.