BHUBANESWAR: The state government on Wednesday appointed
Raghubir Das, a retired justice of
Orissa high court, as the chairman of the
judicial commission, constituted on Monday to probe the circumstances leading to mysterious loss of the keys of Jagannath temple’s inner
Ratna Bhandar (treasury).
"I know it is a challenging task. I will soon gather all requisite details from the Puri district administration and
Jagannath temple administration before starting my inquiry. I will ensure that the probe is conducted in fair manner,” Das told media persons. The state government has set three-month deadline for the commission to complete the inquiry.
Notwithstanding institution of the judicial commission of inquiry, the disappearance of the keys, revealed in April, continues to trigger outrage among opposition political parties. Congress questions the roles of Puri district administration and Jagannath temple administration for having neglected Ratna Bhandar for years. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) too was vocal against the district and temple administrations. “We wonder how for years the government officials turned a blind eye towards the safety of treasury. Shockingly, the matter came to light in April. The state government sat for two months to order an inquiry. This is a clear attempt to hush up the sensitive matter,” said BJP leader Samir Mohanty.
Devotees demand that either the Puri district administration or Jagannath temple office should immediately lodge a complaint with the local police, informing about the missing keys. “We feel that the police can also take suo moto cognisance and register a case. Let the police to conduct a parallel probe to find out possible theft of keys and sabotage angle,” said Pradyumna Panda, a devotee. Jagannath Sena, a voluntary outfit, reiterated for a CBI probe to unlock the missing key mystery.
"It is a clear case of criminal negligence. A number of district collectors and temple administrators have been appointed in Puri since 1985 when the inner Ratna Bhandar was last opened to fetch jewelleries for Lord Balabhadra. None of the collectors and administrators bothered to check the custody of the keys that were supposed to have been stored in the district treasury,” another devotee Jayashree Sarangi said.