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Puri, July 10: Kumbharpada police Sunday arrested a non-resident Indian (NRI) software engineer on charge of climbing onto the Taladhwaja chariot of Lord Balabhadra near Srigundicha temple here in the wee hours of Friday.
NRI engineer Dipesh Saha, who originally hails from Ahmadabad and has been residing in the USA with his family since 1978, was produced in a local court, said police. Saha had allegedly climbed onto the Taladhwaja chariot, which was parked near Srigundicha temple, around 3.35 AM Friday to pay obeisance to Lord Balabhadra. Saha was then about to climb the Nandighosha chariot of Lord Jagannath when some personnel of Jagannath Temple Police Service (JTPS) spotted him and escorted him out.
After examining CCTV footages on the basis of a complaint lodged by JTPS personnel, Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) learnt that Saha had climbed onto the Taladhwaja chariot. SJTA’s administrator (rituals) then filed an FIR against Saha at Kumbharpada police station alleging that he flouted the June 20, 2014 order of Orissa High Court.
Kumbharapada police had registered a case against the NRI engineer as per Section 188 of IPC and Section 30 (A) of the Shree Jagannath Temple Act, 1955. Sub-inspector SR Biswal Sunday arrested Saha from Naren Palace Hotel after conducting a probe into the incident.
Locals and social activists, meanwhile, expressed concern over the breach of security and asked the district administration to ensure foolproof security for the chariots and the three idols. “The district administration had installed barricades around the chariots and deployed security personnel led by a senior official to guard the deities. However, an NRI engineer managed to breach the security cordons and entered into a chariot. The state government should consider the matter seriously and act accordingly,” said a social activist.
A few locals also blamed security personnel deployed near the Srigundicha temple for the incident and sought action against them. “If a person could breach the security cordon and climb onto a chariot, then it does not see impossible for such a person to steal the idols of Lord Madanmohan and Lord Ramkrushna, which were placed on the chariot that day (Friday),” said another local.
