A day after the Orissa High Court refused to grant relief to absconding Puri Jagannath Temple servitor Bhimsen Palankdhari on Thursday, other fugitive servitors, who had approached the HC seeking anticipatory bails, withdrew their pleas on Friday.
Ipsit Pratihary and Bhagirathi Khuntia along with Palankdhari, who are booked by the Puri police for allegedly assaulting some journalists, threatening the district Collector and misbehaving with a woman police officer during the Niladri Bije ritual of the deities last month, had sought anticipatory bails.
It may be mentioned the Puri police have registered three cases in this connection and have booked as many as 16 persons in all these cases. While 12 of the accused have already been arrested, Palankdhari, Pratihary, Khuntia and the key accused Damodar Mahasuar have gone underground. PNS