Post News Network
Puri, July 26: Former railway minister Mukul Roy along with his family members had the rare opportunity of touching the idols of Lord Balabhadra and Lord Jagannath during the Pahandi procession near Srigundicha temple here Sunday in violation of the Orissa High Court orders.
According to sources, Roy and his family members managed to gain entry into the inner security cordon near the Nakachana Gate of the Srigundicha temple during the Pahandi procession ritual of the Bahuda Yatra.
A Daita servitor is reported to have escorted the former minister and his relatives to the deities. “I got immense satisfaction by touching the deities,” Roy told media persons when he was asked to explain his experience.
The Srimandir managing committee had imposed a blanket ban on devotees touching deities during Rath Yatra while accepting the recommendations of Puri Shankaracharya Nischalanand Saraswati Swamy last year.
Subsequently, the Orissa High Court had upheld the decision of the temple managing committee to prevent pilgrims from touching the idols during the car festival.
