Puri: The police here Thursday issued notices to three persons who were found on the chariots during the annual Rath Yatra, wearing servitor attire and carrying fake passes. The notices were issued after the Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) provided CCTV footage and drone camera pictures showing their unauthorised presence on the chariots.
On the day of the commencement of Rath Yatra, Rajesh Kumar Sahu of Gandia village in Dhenkanal district and Prasanna Kumar Behura of Kusumpur village in Kendrapara district were spotted on the chariot wearing servitor attire and holding servitor passes. They were asked to appear before the police to give their statement regarding the matter. Two criminal cases have been registered in Singhadwar and Kumbharpada police stations following complaints by temple administrator Ajay Kumar Jena.
In a similar incident during Bahuda Yatra, Gopalkrushna Polanki of Berhampur in Ganjam district was removed from the chariot under the instruction of SJTA chief administrator Arabinda Padhi. The temple administration has also issued a show-cause notice to a Daitapati (temple servitor) who allegedly facilitated the entry of non-servitors onto the chariot during the car festival. Another complaint has been lodged with Kumbharpada police station. Sources said that three high-ranking individuals, including a vice-chancellor a professor of a Sanskrit university, and a senior officer of a fertilizer company had climbed onto the chariots near the Lions’ Gate on the day of the Rath Yatra. Although they were identified, the administration and police have yet to initiate legal action against them. Meanwhile, devotees demanded that the SJTA, without considering their positions, should also initiate legal action against them.
