Puri: A day after the Supreme Court’s order asking for a report from the district judge on the alleged harassment of devotees at Srimandir among other things, observers Saturday cited several recent incidents at the 12th century shrine that had occurred in the run-up.
People familiar with Srimandir affairs cited mismanagement during President Ram Nath Kovind’s visit to the temple in March and assault on a couple from Maharashtra on the shrine premises May 20 as possible reasons behind the Supreme Court order.
Reports claimed that several servitors had deliberately flouted the guidelines laid down by the Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) during Kovind’s visit to Srimandir March 18. A few Khuntia and Mekap servitors had allegedly collided with the President and the First Lady when they were paying obeisance to the deities in the sanctum sanctorum.
Moreover, some servitors had publicly expressed their displeasure over non-payment of donations (dakshina) by the guests. They blamed the SJTA on the donation issue.
The two incidents had invited sharp reactions from the President’s office. According to sources, the temple administration had received a communiqué regarding this from the President’s office.
Similarly, two servitors had assaulted Chetan Ganpat Amolkar of Thane and his wife over donations inside the temple May 20. The incident created a bad impression regarding the shrine across the country.
Just a few days before the Supreme Court’s order, CJI Dipak Misra had also visited the shrine.
“Mismanagement during the President’s visit and assault on the Thane couple had drawn the attention of the Supreme Court to Srimandir affairs. Friday’s order is a step towards checking lawlessness at the Srimandir,” said a source.
PNN
