As anticipated, Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) Chief Administrator Suresh Chandra Mohapatra on Friday gave a clean chit to servitors in connection with the devotees touching the deities at the Snan Mandap last week.
“We examined the report of the temple Security Officer. I personally examined the 45-minute video footage of the incident captured through CCTV installed at the Snan Mandap. But nowhere we found the servitors taking the devotees physically near the bathing altar for darshan or touch,” said Mohapatra.
It had been alleged that a number of servitors in charge of the ceremonial bathing rituals of the deities allowed devotees to touch the deities despite a ban imposed by the SJTA.
Asked about the reason behind such chaos and indiscipline, Mohapatra said the devotees were allowed inside the temple before the barricade was removed completely.
He assured that they would be careful in this regard and see that such things do not recur in future.
He said the ‘no-touch ban’ would be strictly enforced during the ensuing Rath Yatra till Niladri Bije.
However, the temple administration’s clean chit to the servitors five days ahead of the Rath Yatra on July 6 is being seen as an attempt to appease the servitors for their cooperation during the grand annual festival.
Puri King Gajapati Dibyasingha Deb and Shankaracharya Swami Nischalananda Saraswati also expressed their unhappiness over the development.