Puri: A servitor of the Puri Jagannath temple has been arrested by police for the attack on media persons during the Niladri Bije ritual of Lord Jagannath and his siblings yesterday night.
While informing about the arrest Police DG KB Singh said another servitor is likely to be arrested in connection with the incident.
Puri Collector Arvind Agarwal who was also abused by the servitors over climbing of devotees on chariot said "A FIR will be filed against those who abused me and stern action will be taken."
Meanwhile, Agarwal lodged two FIRs with the SP Sarthak Sarangi against six servitors who had misbehaved and abused him with foul language and threatened to kill him during Niladri Bije of the deities last night. The six servitors against whom the FIRs have been lodged are Damodar Mahasuara, Jayakrushna Mahasuara, Bhimsen Palankdhari, Rabi Das, Ipsit Pratihari and Saina Khuntia.
A violent scuffle broke out between servitors and media persons covering the ritual, which got delayed after some devotees were allowed to climb the chariots by servitors despite a ban.
The pahandi of Sudarsana during the Niladri Bije of the deities from the chariots to the Ratna Sinhasana was disrupted after Puri Collector Arvind Agarwal, who was present at the spot, had an altercation with some servitors on the devotees, said to be relatives of servitors, climbing the chariots.
Media persons who were out to find the reasons behind the delay in Pahandi were manhandled by the servitors.
Notably, a young girl, accompanied by a senior servitor, climbed the Taladhwaja chariot of Lord Balabhadra, while two girls and a woman were also found climbing the Nandighosa and Taladhwaja chariots.