Members of the district Youth Congress staged a demonstration before the south gate of the Jagannath Temple here on Tuesday demanding reopening of all four gates of the shrine.
The agitators also tried to barge into the temple through the southern gate leading to a scuffle with the policemen deployed.
The agitating Youth Congress members said since all the devotees are currently entering the shrine through the Lions Gate, they are experiencing a lots of hardship as they have to stand in queues for hours.
“The administration is not allowing devotees into the temple through all the four gates for last two years. Nor are they giving any concrete information regarding when the Srimandir Parikrama Project work will get over and when the gates will be opened for devotees. So, we staged a demonstration demanding opening of all four gates. If the administration doesn’t take early steps in this regard, the agitation would be intensified, said a senior Congress leader.
However, a senior police official said that as the Parikrama project work is going on, the southern and northern gates are closed for the devotees. Once the project is over, the demands would be considered.