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Members of the outfit suspect that some attempts have been made to weaken the foundation of the Srimandir by digging pits near it. The members of the outfit staged the demonstration in front of Puri Singhadwar.

In an unexpected turn of events, the District Administration of Puri has refilled a pit dug for construction under the Srimandir Parikrama Project on Friday.

Sanjib Sarkar, the father of the deceased has filed a police complaint at Sea Beach Police Station alleging his son was murdered. As per his complaint, Chaini’s friends planned to eliminate him and therefore brought him to Puri to execute the crime.

Puri district Collector Samarth Verma on Thursday said that CCTV cameras would also be installed at four different locations to keep a vigil on the roshaghara (kitchen).

The Puri SDJM Court on Wednesday rejected the bail plea of J Mohapatra, the prime accused in the Srimandir kitchen vandalism case and sent him to 14-day judicial custody.

The accused of Srimandir kitchen vandalism case J Mohapatra, a 30-year-old youth from Begunia area of Khordha district, is reportedly obsessed with cleanliness and did not like dirt in any religious places, especially in Srimandir, claimed, his father on Wednesday.

“He has confessed to the crime but as of now, his statement seems vague and unclear. He has only clarified that he committed the act out of uneasiness. Further investigation is underway to divulge the exact motive behind the case,” added the Puri SP.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) mounted more pressure on the Odisha government on Tuesday over the alleged unauthorised construction under Srimandir Parikrama Project, with its National Vice President, Baijayant Panda slamming the government’s move.

Far away from the grim reality of the war that is witnessing Russian forces pounding the Ukrainian cities with bombs, the pilgrim town of Puri in Odisha acts as a unifier rather than a destroyer.

All 49 passengers on board escaped unhurt as the bus conductor showed exemplary presence of mind and swift action to ensure safety of all the occupants inside the vehicle

Chief Secretary and the DGP both visited the 12th-century shrine later on Monday evening under the direction of CM Naveen to inspect the situation. 

Chief Secretary Suresh Chandra Mahapatra along with DGP Sunil Bansal visited the Srimandir to carry out a detail inspection of the desecrated kitchen.

Intensifying protest over alleged violation of norms in Srimandir Heritage Corridor Project works in Puri, Bhubaneswar MP Aparajita Sarangi on Monday lashed out at the Odisha government and questioned why the construction activities have not been stopped even after the direction of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).

According to the Collector, a crucial meeting with all the stakeholders was conducted to ensure all the rituals and other traditions are conducted without any hassles in the wake of the controversy.

Despite protests against the ongoing construction works of the project, plaques and diagrams were on Sunday found to have been put up near the 12th century shrine in Puri.

It is suspected that some unidentified persons allegedly ransacked the chulhas following some dispute after the completion of traditional rituals on Saturday night.

"As per the charter, OTV had aired the statement made by MP Sarangi and had later streamed MP Mishra's response to it. We had also aired responses of several others on the channel. OTV hasn't intentionally targeted MP Mishra or anyone else and has never mentioned him as a 'liar' and hasn't aired any news that degrades Mishra's respect," the channel maintains.

Meanwhile, Mishra took a dig at his detractors by saying, "Many people have 'crab mentality' and neither they will do something or let anyone do."

The Srikshetra Suraksha Milita Manch on Friday raised strong objection to the MP’s statement in the Parliament which they termed ‘acrimonious’.

The Puri Police on Thursday seized property worth Rs 1 Cr belonging to incarcerated drug mafia Anirudh Jaisingh under the NDPS Act.

The Banajaga Yatra, undertaken for the Nabakalebara of the idols at Sharana Srikshetra in Dhenkanal’s Ekagharia, was stopped on Monday by the temple trust following stiff opposition from Jagannath devotees and the Daitapati Nijog at Srimandir in Puri.

In his monthly radio programme ‘Mann Ki Baat’, Prime Minister Narendra Modi informed that Rahul has cleaned hundreds of kilos of plastic garbage and dirt.

The servitor, Krushna Chandra Pratihari, was shot dead from point-blank range at Barabati Jagaghar on March 16. A total of 10 persons have been arrested in connection with the murder case.

The decision was taken on the basis of a tender process where UBI emerged as the top bidder promising a 5.21 per cent interest rate in comparison to other participants. 

In a shocking incident, a man stabbed his mother-in-law to death before consuming poison himself in a bid to commit suicide at Banamali Nagar under Puri’s Baselisahi Police limits on Wednesday.

On the work front, Kapil is currently busy shooting for a yet-to-be-titled movie directed by Nandita. For the last couple of days, he has been shooting at different locations in Bhubaneswar for his upcoming in which he will be portraying the character of a food delivery boy.

Four more assailants in the sensational murder of former Puri Jagannath temple managing committee member Krushna Pratihari have been nabbed from Koraput.

The investigators of the Pratihari murder case said they have recovered Rs1,50,000 lakh from the main assasin, Kalu Panigrahi, following his arrest. 

Upon returning from the temple after darshan, the Firangi actor also received a hearty welcome from a large gathering of fans eagerly waiting outside the temple.

The arrested have been identified as Kalia Singhari, Dalgobinda Singhari, Kalu Panigrahi, Munna Patra, Baba Mohapatra and Sandeep Jena.  

In the plaint, the president of PVP, Jagannath Bastia has raised the issues of how devotees are made to stand in sun for long periods during entry into the temple and darshan as well. 

One platoon of police force has been deployed to maintain law and order in the area. Earlier on Sunday, police had carried out a march and recovered four live crude bombs from the village.

Over 20 crude bombs were reportedly pelted during the act of violence which is said to be fallout of a clash between two warring groups in the village. 

What devotees coming to Srimandir are missing is sensitivity and empathy. The stampede-like situation on Holi Purnima seems to be a wakeup call. Devotees do deserve a lot more respect and attention and it is the bounden duty of the state government to ensure this without delay.

Sources said ‘Dola Melana’ or ‘Radha-Krishna Melana’ utsav is celebrated in a grand way in the area every year during Dola Purnima. Attractive fireworks are demonstrated during the procession of the Melana. This time things did not go as planned, resulting in the mishap, sources added.

The devotees were aggrieved as they had to stand in queues for long hours in excess heat and humid conditions.

Khandayat Patna village of Rupadeipur Panchayat under Pipili Block in Puri district.is best known for manufacturing decorative wooden palanquins.

The morning sitting of the subordinate courts at all places in the State shall commence from April 4, 2022 from 7 am to 1 pm with a break of half an hour from 10 am to 10.30 am.

Puri woke up to sheer horror with two separate murders in a single day including killing of a former servitor of the Lord Jagannath Temple jolting the pilgrim town on Wednesday.

This apart, the time table of rituals for the Dola Purnima were also finalised during the Chhatisa Nijog meeting today.