Puri: Protests have gained momentum in Odisha over the conduct of Rath Yatra by International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) in Mumbai. Activists of Jagannath Sena on Sunday staged a demonstration in front of Jagannath Temple in Puri and burnt the effigy of Mumbai ISKCON head Radhanath Swami Maharaj.
The Jagannath Sena also filed a complaint against the ISKCON head at Puri Singhadwar Police Station and demanded his arrest and ban on ISKCON in India.
“Despite repeated requests and discussions, ISKCON authorities have been conducting Rath Yatra festival in different parts of the country on different dates. They have been doing this to collect money,” said Jagannath Sena convenor, Priyadarshan Patnaik.
Patnaik further stated that the outfit staged a demonstration and lodged a police complaint against the ISKCON chief for organising Rath Yatra in Mumbai on the occasion of Basant Panchami.
Earlier, a police complaint was also filed by the Sachetan Nagarika Mancha at Puri Singhadwar Police Station against organisers of the Rath Yatra in Mumbai. The untimely Rath Yatra organised by ISKCON on the occasion of Basant Panchami in Mumbai has sparked a major controversy with Puri Srimandir authorities and Jagannath culture experts in Odisha opposing such arbitrary conduct of the festival.
It is pertinent to mention here that ISKCON has been organising Rath Yatra on different occasions by deviating from the Puri Srimandir traditions.
Earlier, the decision of ISKCON’s Ludhiana unit to hold Rath Yatra on a different date was also opposed in Odisha. After massive protests and an FIR, ISKCON dissociated from conducting Rath Yatra by its Ludhiana branch on a different date.
“It is totally unacceptable that Rath Yatra is being allowed to be organised on different dates which is a clear violation of the traditions followed in Puri Srimandir. We demand stern action and at the same time Odisha government should take concrete steps in this regard,” said a resident of Puri.