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DIGHA: Chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday oversaw preparedness for Friday’s Rath Yatra in Digha and extensively reviewed crowd-management measures, asking police to stay alert to avert any stampede-like situation. More than 2.5 lakh people are expected to participate in the seaside town’s first chariot festival after the inauguration of the Jagannath temple.Banerjee, who reached Digha on Wednesday to keep tabs on arrangements, said the Yatra would begin at 2.30pm and proceed along a barricaded route. A 750-metre stretch from Jagannath Dham to Masir Bari at the old Jagannath temple has been barricaded. Around 3,000 policemen will be deployed along the route. “People will not be allowed on the road to pull the chariots. All devotees will stay behind barricades to avoid any risk of stampede,” the CM said, adding that the chariots’ ropes would be extended towards the barricades for people to touch them.The announcement came after Banerjee held an administrative meeting that was attended by ministers Aroop Biswas, Chandrima Bhattacharya and Sujit Bose and senior district and police officials.“People can visit the temple. There is no issue if they arrive early, but they must leave after the visit. It is difficult to accommodate a large number of people at once on the temple premises. This is the first time we are organising this festival. We request that both Yatra days (Friday and July 5) be peaceful. All preparations have been made. The Yatra will conclude by 4 pm,” the CM said.Radharaman Das, a trustee of Digha Jagannath Dham and vice-president of ISKCON Kolkata, said, “The CM is personally monitored the situation to ensure there are no problems due to the crowd surge.”On Thursday, Digha was bursting at the seams as thousands of people poured in and every hotel room in and around the seaside town was booked. Bipradash Chakraborty, joint secretary of Digha Sankarpur Hotelier’s Association said hotel occupancy was over 70% on Thursday and was expected to be over 90% on Friday when more devotees reach the town to witness the festival.” Late on Thursday, at least 200 buses packed with devotees left Kolkata for Digha.“I was visiting my home in Gujarat for a week and on learning about the chariot festival here, I decided to visit the town. I have been to Puri earlier, but being part of Digha’s first Ratha Yatra would be a memorable experience,” said Anwar Shah, who lives in California.Swati Dey from Kasba, who reached Digha on Thursday said, “We could not come here when the temple was opened in April. So, we decided to visit the temple during Ratha Yatra. We booked the hotel last month.”

The vibrant chariot festival of Lord Jagannātha, known as Ratha Yatra, has been celebrated for over two thousand years in the sacred coastal town of Puri, India. Rooted in deep spiritual tradition, this grand procession sees the deities—Lord Jagannātha (Lord of the Universe), his brother Balabhadra, and sister Subhadrā—taken out of the temple and placed on beautifully adorned chariots to bless devotees from all walks of life.Filled with joy, music, dance, and devotion, the Ratha Yatra represents more than just a religious ritual—it symbolizes love, unity, and the sharing of divine grace with the world. On this special day, the deities leave the sanctum to reach out to the masses, signifying inclusivity and universal compassion.Over the years, this sacred tradition has crossed borders, reaching global audiences, including major cities across the United States. Ratha Yatra in the U.S. has now become a powerful blend of worship, cultural expression, and community celebration. Whether you are a devoted follower or a curious soul drawn to the color and culture of Eastern spirituality, attending a Ratha Yatra is a profound experience of togetherness and heritage.

Source: Canva

Here’s a look at the key U.S. cities where Ratha Yatra 2025 will be celebrated with traditional fanfare, devotional fervor, and joyful festivities.

Fremont, California

Location: Delaware Dr, Fremont, CA 94538Ratha Yatra/Jatra: June 28, 2025 – 10:00 AM onwards, followed by priti bhoj (community feast)Bahuda Yatra: July 5, 2025 – 5:00 PM onwards, followed by priti bhoj

Jackson, Mississippi

Location: Sitaram Hindu Temple, 1940 US 80, Jackson, MS 39204Date: Sunday, June 29, 2025Time: 4:00 PM CDT onwardsThe event includes engaging activities for children such as coloring, drawing, and musical chairs. Puja will be conducted between 5:00 PM and 7:00 PM, followed by the Ratha Yatra procession from 7:00 PM to 7:30 PM.

Centennial, Colorado

Location: Hindu Temple of Colorado, 7201 S Potomac St, Centennial, CO 80112Ratha Yatra: Friday, June 27, 2025 – 5:30 PM to 9:30 PM MDTBahuda Yatra: July 5, 2025 – 5:00 PM to 9:30 PMA beautiful celebration of devotion, this evening event brings together the community for a joyous cultural experience featuring music, prayer, and a grand procession.

San Francisco, California

Location: Golden Gate ParkEvent: 59th Annual Festival of the ChariotsDate: Sunday, August 24, 2025This iconic event draws thousands for a spectacular display of chariots, music, dance, and spiritual joy in one of the most scenic parks in the country.

Mauldin, South Carolina

Location: Vedic Center of Greenville, 520 Bethel Drive, Mauldin, SC 29662Date: June 28, 2025Time: 3:00 PM to 7:00 PMThe Mauldin celebration promises a warm and welcoming environment filled with devotional fervor and cultural vibrancy.

Source: Canva

Alpharetta, Georgia

Location: 390 Cumming St, Alpharetta, GA 30004Ratha Yatra: June 29, 2025 – from 5:00 PMBahuda Yatra: July 6, 2025With cultural programs and devotional kirtans, the Alpharetta event offers a deep immersion into the spiritual and festive essence of Ratha Yatra.

Houston, Texas

Location: 3101 Fuqua Street, Houston, TXDate: June 28, 2025Time: 9:00 AM to 9:00 PMOrganized by the Orissa Culture Center, this marks the 18th annual Jagannath Ratha Yatra in Houston. It’s a full-day event packed with devotion, community activities, and cultural performances, drawing devotees from all over the region.

NEW DELHI: Supreme Court on Thursday realised that its well-meaning rulings could cause huge complications in criminal law processes as it found that Karnataka high court had released a murder accused two years after his arrest as police had not informed him in writing the grounds of arrest as mandated by SC in Oct 2023.Appearing for Karnataka govt, senior advocate Sidharth Luthra told a bench led by Justice K V Viswanathan that SC rulings operate prospectively unless specifically directed for its retrospective application. He said the man was arrested on Feb 17, 2023, and was remanded to custody the same day in a murder case. The chargesheet has been filed and he is facing trial, Luthra said.However, nearly one-and-a-half years after SC in Pankaj Bansal case ruled on Oct 3, 2023 that investigating agencies must communicate in writing the grounds of arrest to the person being taken into custody, the murder accused moved Karnataka HC on March 22 this year questioning his arrest due to non-communication of the grounds of arrest in writing by relying on the SC ruling.Relying on subsequent rulings of SC reiterating the principle enunciated in Pankaj Bansal case, HC quashed his arrest but asked him to appear before the investigating officer, cooperate in the probe, not to threaten or tamper with witnesses, not to get involved in similar offences and not to leave the territory of the police station of Arsikere town without IO’s permission.Justice Viswanathan said this could have a huge repercussion on thousands of arrests by police across states prior to pronouncement of the judgment in Pankaj Bansal case. “We are worried such a course of action, as adopted by Karnataka HC, will have a nation-wide implication and thousands of accused, arrested prior to Oct 3, 2023, may rush to courts seeking annulment of their arrests,” he said.The bench noted that a similar question was pending judgment before a bench led by CJI B R Gavai, which had reserved verdict two months ago on April 22 on a petition filed by Mihir Rajesh Shah who had challenged his arrest alleging that the grounds of arrest were not communicated to him in writing by police.CJI Gavai and Justice A G Masih had raised two questions: Whether in every IPC case, it is mandatory to furnish grounds of arrest before or immediately after the arrest. And, whether the mandate could be optional in exceptional cases where it is impossible to provide grounds of arrest immediately on arrest.Referring to Mihir Shah’s case, Justice Viswanathan said since the judgment could be expected after July 15 and could lay down guidelines regarding communication of grounds of arrest, it would be better to post the Karnataka case for hearing on July 18.Justice Viswanathan’s apprehension was fully reflected in CJI Gavai’s views, as before reserving verdict in Mihir Shah’s case, he had observed, “Imagine someone is shooting people in public. Should police take him into custody or wait to prepare grounds of arrest to be served on him prior to that? Our judgments (making it mandatory for police to furnish grounds of arrest in writing) have been grossly misused.”

NEW DELHI: It began with a thunderous roar from Cape Canaveral and ended, about 28 hours later, with a gentle, precise docking around 400km above Earth as Dragon capsule Grace latched onto the International Space Station (ISS) at 4.02pm Thursday.Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, aka Shux, quietly made history, entering ISS at 5.44pm, a minute after commander Peggy Whitson. Shukla’s presence aboard the orbiting lab marks not just a personal milestone but a national turning point. India has arrived at the frontiers of commercial human spaceflight.“Welcome, Earthlings,” radioed veteran astronaut Whitson earlier as capsule Grace streamed over Europe carrying Axiom crew on their first full day in orbit. Their in-flight broadcast came after flying over Italy, Sicily, Greek islands, and the Balkans. Before docking, Shukla said, “I’m learning everything anew: how to walk, how to eat…”

Grace, launched from Nasa‘s Kennedy Space Center (KSC), executed a series of precisely-timed orbit-raising manoeuvres before it aligned with the ISS and docked. Hours before docking, in his first full in-flight transmission, Shukla said, “Grace has been very kind. I wasn’t feeling great when we got shot into the vacuum. But since yesterday, I have apparently been sleeping a lot – which is a good sign! I am learning everything anew – how to walk, how to eat, how to be.” The Lucknow boy acknowledged it was “good to make mistakes”, and even “better to see somebody else do that, too”. Isro’s Ax-4 team, which briefly returned to India along with chairman V Narayanan after the original launch was delayed, got down to work at the mission control centre in Houston. “We had around eight people on consoles and we were excited and anxious. We are elated at the successful docking,” an Isro scientist said.After hours of cruising, once Grace was within range, it began a slow and measured approach. Every manoeuvre went as planned and, at each stage, ground controllers and onboard systems assessed progress and gave “go” commands. Given a clean approach, the ground station and ISS allowed Grace to skip two halts – at “waypoint-1” and “waypoint-2” – which advanced the docking by nearly half-an-hour. At around 20 metres, Grace made its final approach, using a suite of laser-based sensors and cameras, aligned precisely with the docking port on the station. The spacecraft then moved forward at just a few centimetres per second and made contact.Once the soft capture – magnets gently pulling Grace into position – was complete, the hard capture, where mechanical latches and hooks secured the spacecraft, followed. A pressure-tight seal formed between Grace and ISS.Over the next 14 days, the crew will conduct over 60 microgravity experiments, outreach programmes, and collaborative science activities.