Puri: After a brief lull, Daita servitors of Srimandir are all set to give a new push to their tussle with the temple management in connection with the ban on devotees climbing the chariots and touching the deities during the annual Car Festival.
Daita Niyog president Ramkrushna Dasmahapatra Sunday claimed that they have decided to approach Orissa High Court on the contentious issue. “Lord Jagannath and his siblings come out from their abode to bless devotees during Rath Yatra. No one has the right to restrict devotees from meeting the deities. We will approach the HC to restore people’s rights to meet their beloved Lord,” Dasmahapatra said.
Dasmahapatra also criticised Gajapati Dibyasingha Deb on the issue. Earlier, Deb had supported the temple management’s decision to ban devotees’ entry to the chariots. The Gajapati had said that devotees should not be allowed to touch the deities at the sanctum sanctorum, Adapa Mandap, Snana Mandap and on the chariots.
Supporting entry of devotees to chariots, Lord Jagannath’s Badagrahi Jagannath Swain Mahapatra, said, “Devotees should be allowed to hug the deities on chariots. The HC had prohibited devotees from entering the chariots. But the temple administration moved a step ahead and asked people not to touch the chariots,” Swain Mahapatra said.
Devi Subhadra’s Badagrahi Ramchandra Dasmahaptra, meanwhile, claimed that a few devotees touched the deities during the Pahandi procession. “No one can touch the deities against their will. So, we should not make a hue and cry over the incident,” he said.
Shree Jagannath temple chief administrator Pradeep Jena claimed that no devotee has touched the deities. “We will examine the CCTV footage to check the veracity of a media report in this regard,” he said.
Collector Aravind Agarwal said they had made all arrangements to prevent devotees from climbing the chariots. He refused to comment on Daita Niyog’s decision to approach the HC on the issue.
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