Post News Network
Bhubaneswar, June 29: A day after Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik directed the law department to probe the authenticity of the photographs of sacred Brahma and secret rituals posted on social media, the Shri Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) Monday wrote to crime branch (CB) to investigate the matter.
In a letter to CB, the SJTA urged it to take the letter as an FIR and initiate investigation into the case.
Soon after the release of the pictures on the social media, the SJTA Saturday came with a clarification that some of the photographs of the Brahma and the deities pertaining to sacred rituals are fake and fabricated. “The photographs are posted with the intent of spreading confusion among the devotees,” the SJTA statement had said.
SJTA chief administrator Suresh Chandra Mohapatra said “The photos showing the ‘pataali’ (burial) of the old idols in the Koili Baikuntha (divine graveyard) and carving of new idols inside the temple, widely circulated in the social media, are irrelevant and have no veracity and authenticity.” He urged people not to be misguided by such pictures.
The Nabakalebara fiasco has turned out to be a big blow for the state government. The government is drawing flak for the ‘inordinate delay’ in Brahma Parivartan rituals. The ritual were delayed almost by 12 hours and conducted during the day June 16 instead of being performed in the dead of night on Amavashya June 15 as per the record of rights (RoR) of the Srimandir.
Embarrassed by the misconduct of the rituals and the delay in completion of infrastructure projects, the state government is leaving no stone unturned to make the ensuing car festival hassle free. The fete is expected to see a turnout of nearly 50 lakh people.
The Chief Minister recently asked four ministers to camp in the holy city to review the Nabakalebara work in health, infrastructure and energy sectors and to ensure that the rituals of the Trinity during the entire event are carried out smoothly.