A woman devotee was allegedly assaulted by the police at the premises of the Jagannath Temple here on Monday.
A group of devotees from West Bengal headed by Abhijit Guha, an Air Force Squadron leader visited the 12th-century shrine in the morning when Guha’s wife Natasha was assaulted by the Jagannath Temple Police (JTP) while they were paying obeisance to the lords at around 8.30 am.
JTP personnel had an altercation with the tourists near the Bahar Katha (outer barricade) followed by a scuffle in which the woman devotee sustained minor injuries, sources said.
Following the incident, the devotee filed a complaint at the Singhadwar police station. The police recorded the statement of the complainant.
The incident evoked sharp reactions from the devotees visiting the temple. They denounced the incident of misbehaviour by the temple police.
“This is really unfortunate that a woman devotee has been manhandled by the temple police. Strict action should be taken against the erring officials so that it is not repeated in the future,” a devotee said.