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Ahmedabad rathyatra raises fears of fresh violence

Our Correspondent in Ahmedabad.

The Lord Jagannath rathyatra taken out every year in Ahmedabad on July 12, to coincide with the main rathyatra in Puri, has raised fears of recurrence of violence in the city.

There was a minor controversy earlier with reports that the local Jagannath Temple trustees had suggested a change of route, following the recent communal riots in the state.

This suggestion, reportedly, was strongly contested by many in the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party and the Vishwa Hindu Parishad with the local committee finally deciding to follow the traditional route

However, the organising committee decided to reduce the size of the rathyatra.

Temple trustee Mahendra Jha said that this was done to ensure that the rathyatra is completed and reaches the temple back by 8 pm, while every year, it takes about 10.30 pm to reach back.

While last year about 101 trucks and 35 akharas (religious institutions) had taken part, this time it is likely to be reduced to 35 trucks and 15 akharas so as to bring down the length of the procession, which is usually 3 km long.

The Ahmedabad Truck Owner's Association and Ahmedabad Rathyatra Akhara Association have been called by the temple trustees for talks to put this plan into action so that the rathyatra can be taken out in an cordial atmosphere, Jha said.

The city has a history of communal violence associated with the rathyatra and the city police are on red alert, especially in areas like Shahpur, Dariayapur, Khadiya and Kalupur during the rathyatra.

Most senior officials, though, are putting up a brave front and say that there will be no shortcoming in security measures.

Satish Verma, additional commissioner of police, in charge of many sensitive areas that fall in sector II denied any extra apprehension among the police regarding the yatra, but added that the police will be on the high alert.

Many social activists like Devendra Pathak of People's Union of Civil Liberties, Prakash Shah of Movement of Secular Democracy and Jayanti Patel of Indian Radical Humanist Association fear that the rathyatra will trigger more communal violence.

They pointed out that the minority community did not take out the tazia procession, and the rathyatra can also be avoided.

"It seems that fundamentalists have a say in administration. Even though the mahants of the Jagannath temple were open to the idea of change in route, the route was not changed. It is like playing with fire and exposing the citizens to unnecessary risk," they added.

There is also a pending demand from the devotees of Lord Jagannath that the rathyatra, which covers only the old city areas, could do with a change of route as it would give people in the western parts of the city a chance to view the yatra.

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