Puri servitors' body gives boycott call of Rath Yatra preparatory meeting

BHUBANESWAR: A section of servitors of the Puri Jagannath Temple decided to boycott the meeting called to review the preparedness for Rath Yatra by chief minister Naveen Patnaik in Puri on Tuesday. They are angry at the insult over the alleged fake allegation of misconduct by servitors during the visit of President Ram Nath Kovind and his wife, Savita, to the temple on March 18.
Protesting under the aegis of Sri Jagannath Sevayat Sammilani, the servitors on Sunday put up posters around the temple appealing their colleagues to stay away from Tuesday’s meeting.

“Some of us have decided not to attend the CM’s meeting as a mark of protest against Puri district collector Aravind Agarwal, who defamed our community by creating a fake controversy over the alleged misbehaviour by our fellow servitors towards the President and his wife,” said sammilani’s secretary Kasinath Khuntia. He added, “Since Agarwal would be present in the meeting, we will abstain from it. We have also sought the support of all other servitors and requested them to boycott the meeting.”

Refusing to comment on the issue, the temple administration said the preparatory meeting will be held according to the schedule.

The roles of Agarwal and the shrine’s former chief administrator Pradeep Kumar Jena have come under the scanner as they were on March 20 quoted as saying in a meeting that the President and his wife were allegedly shoved by some servitors during their visit to the 12th century shrine .

As the issue triggered countrywide furore following emergence of the minutes of the March 20 meeting last week, the Rashtrapati Bhavan denied having lodged any complaint with the Odisha government. State chief secretary Aditya Padhi and the Puri Jagannath Temple’s new chief administrator, Pradipta Kumar Mohapatra, too dismissed the allegations of misconduct towards the Kovind and his wife.

Agarwal has since stayed away from media. Jena, who was transferred last month in the wake of the mysterious disappearance of the keys of the Jagannath Temple’s inner Ratna Bhandar, too has kept mum on the matter.

Members of Jagannath Sena, a socio-cultural organisation, on Sunday staged a protest at the beach in Puri and threw the posters of Agarwal and Jena into the ocean by branding them as sinners. “They committed sin by defaming Lord Jagannath, the servitors and the Rashtrapati Bhavan. We demand the immediate transfer of Agarwal, who played with the emotions of Hindus and the servitors,” said Jagannath Sena’s convener Priyadarshan Pattnaik.

Suar Mahasuar Nijog, an association of servitors, had on June 28 lodged a complaint against Agarwal and Jena with Singhadwar police station for allegedly tarnishing the image of servitors.