Puri: In a meeting presided by Puri Collector Jyoti Prakash Das held in presence of the five-member Peace Committee following the violent protest against ‘Dhadi Darshan’, it was decided that the new rule will be relaxed for local devotees and they will be allowed to enter through any gate if they produce a valid identity card.
District Collector Jyoti Prakash Das informed last Wednesday evening, “The main resistance was by the locals who thought the queue system was unfair to them. So, we have decided that the locals can enter through any of the other three gates of Srimandir after showing identity card.”
Das also said that the CCTV footage of the entire violence and vandalism are being reviewed by the police under the supervision of the IG (Central Range) Soumya Priyadrashi and a case in this regard will be filed with the police.
Strict actions will be taken against those found guilty, he added.
The five-member Peace Committee was formed after the 12-hour bandh called Wednesday by the members of Shree Jagannath Sena protesting introduction of queue system, turned normal life topsy-turvy in Puri town.
Lingaraj Mishra, Damodar Mahasuara, Binayak Das Mohapatra, Rabi Narayan Das and SP Sarthak Sarangi are a part of this committee.
During the bandh, protestors had barged into the 12-th century shrine and removed the barricades erected near the temple. They also hurled stones at Puri SP Sarthak Sarangi’s residence and vandalised the office of the Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA).
As per the new system that was vehemently protested Wednesday, devotees will enter the temple through the Singha Dwara (Lion’s Gate) by forming a queue and move inside through barricades with separate lines for men and women. After the darshan, devotees will exit through the Uttar Dwara (North Gate).
PNN
