Ritual lapses: Axed servitor demands probe

Bhubaneswar: Jaykrushna Das Mohapatra, one of the ‘Daitapati’ servitors suspended for delaying the ‘Brahma Paribartan’ ritual has demanded a Crime Branch or a judicial probe into the whole string of irregularities from the selection of the daru (holy wood) till the ritual delay.

In a press meet today, Jaykrushna citing the provisions of the Srimandir record of rights said that during the Brahma Paribartan ritual other Daitapati servitors apart from the ones conducting the ritual can be present.

Jaykrushna also went on to allege that the chief administrator of the Sri Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) has been misleading the people on the whole issue.

The Orissa High Court has already quashed the petition of Jaykrushna Das Mohapatra and his father Kashinath Das Mohapatra, both Daitapati servitors of Srimandir, challenging their suspension by Sri Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) in connection with lapses in Brahma Paribartan rituals.

The father-son duo had moved the High Court challenging the SJTA decision after the later suspended them on June 28 under Section 21-B of the Shree Jagannath (Administration) Temple Act-1954 for creating chaos inside the temple leading to an inordinate delay in the Brahma Parivartan ritual of the deities.