Servitors make Jagannath a 'touchy' issue before Rath Yatra

Puri: After 'poster protest', servitors of the Jagannath Temple today took out a rally from the Temple to the venue of the third Ratha Yatra Coordination Committee meeting held here on Saturday.

Demanding fulfillment of their demands, the servitors submitted a memorandum to law minister Pratap Jena who was present at the coordination meeting. In the memorandum, the servitors claimed that touching the Idol of Lord Jagannath is their birth right and they should not be barred by the temple administration.

The servitors, who had earlier boycotted the 1st and 2nd coordination meetings, boycotted the third one too over touching the Idol of Lord Jagannath issue and said there is no point in dividing them into authorised and unauthorised servitors.

We have submitted a memo to the law minister. If our demands are not fulfilled, he will be responsible for all the disturbance during Ratha Yatra, said Daitapati Niyog president Rama Krushna Das Mohapatra

Chief administrator of Shree Jagannath Temple Administration, Pradeep Jena said all the conflict and differences would be resolved through peaceful discussion.

“In case we fail to resolve the differences, we will hold meets at regular intervals to look into the rest after the Ratha Yatra,” added the chief administrator.

Meanwhile, Pratap Jena said through discussion the issue would be resolved at the earliest.

Among others revenue and disaster management minister and local MLA Maheswar Mohanty, Puri district collector and superintendent of police and members of the Shri Jagannath Temple Administration were present at the meeting.