Puri Jagannath temple body draws flak for security breach of President

BHUBANESWAR: The Rashtrapati Bhavan has expressed strong displeasure over unseemly conduct of some servitors of Puri Jagannath Templeduring the March 18 visit of President Ram Nath Kovind and his wife Savita Kovind, the First Lady of India. The shocking revelation has came to fore after the Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) decided to serve show-cause notice to the erring servitors.
On March 18, Kovind and his wife paid their maiden visits to the temple. Breaching his tight security protocol, some servitors allegedly came close to the VVIP couple and pushed and nudged them, much to the discomfiture of Kovind and the First Lady. Temple's chief administrator Pradipta Kumar Mohapatra, an IAS officer, sought to play down the matter and refused to divulge details. "We received a letter from the President's office. We also discussed the matter in temple managing committee meeting. We are looking into it," Mohapatra told TOI. Mohapatra denied the president and his wife were misbehaved. Temple sources said some servitors had allegedly blocked the way of Kovind when he was trying to offer prayers in the sanctum sanctorum. The temple administration has decided to serve show-cause notices to the erring servitors.

Other temple officials said there was minor breach of the President's protocol. "Only a handful of servitors and government officials were permitted to remain in the temple that was shut for common devotees during the President's visit. Some servitors were curious and wanted to speak with him. So they went close to the President," another officer said.

The brazen incident occurred nearly three months before the Supreme Court, while hearing a PIL on June 8, took strong note of the exploitative conduct of servitors at Puri Jagannath Temple and directed the state government to take adequate measures to prevent harassment of devotees. Misconduct of servitors of Puri temple has been a cause for concern for the temple administration. A Cuttack-based lawyer Mrinalini Padhi had moved the Supreme Court, drawing its attention about harassment of pilgrims.