With an aim to defuse public resentment over NIladri Bije fiasco, the State Government on Thursday set up a Judicial Commission to suggest reforms for smooth management of the Shree Jagannath Temple and propagation of the Jagannath culture.
The commission would be headed by former Orissa High Court Judge Bimal Prasad Das.
“The commission will give suggestions on disciplined rituals, darshan for devotees, training and education to servitors, conservation of heritage and propagation of Jagannath culture,” law Minister Arun Sahu told reporters.
He said former Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) Chief Administrator Mahimohan Tripathy would assist the commission.
The Government’s action came after it came under severe criticism from crores of Jagannath devotees for failing to ensure a smooth conduct of Niladri Bije of deities on Sunday evening.
Ugly scenes were seen when one of the senior servitors took his young daughter to the Taladhwaj (Chariot of lord Balabhadra) for darshan defying a ban on devotees climbing the chariots. Some women devotees and minor girls were also taken to the chariots for darshan.
When Puri Collector Arvinda Agrawal opposed it a group of unruly servitors misbehaved with him and even delayed the pahadni ritual of the deities for hours.
When mediapersons tried cover the incident, the erring servitors also attacked them.
Meanwhile, the district officials under the leadership of Puri ADM Uddhab Majhi submitted a memorandum to the Superintendent of Police (SP) seeking immediate arrests of culprits for misbehaving with the Collector-cum-District Magistrate.
Six servitors have already been arrested and sent to jail for attacking mediapersons.
Meanwhile, SP Sarthak Sarangi informed that all culprits would be behind the bars soon.
“Four teams have been formed to nab them. Nearly 30-40 suspected locations have been raided. If found hoodwinking law, they will be declared absconders and property to be attached,” said Sarangi.
The SP assured that there was no pressure from any quarters to go soft of the unruly servitors and said the nine accused fleeing would be in police dragnet soon.
In the meantime, BJD vice-president and former Revenue Minister Surjya Narayan Patro told reporters here that the servitors at the Jagannath Temple, Puri has gone indiscipline and though they were creating nuisance nobody dares to tell them out of fear.
The Odisha IAS Officers’ Association hoped that the errant servitors would be nabbed soon.
An emergency meeting of the association was held at the Pantha Niwas here where 20 IAS officers, including Puri Collector Agrawal were present.
“I am satisfied with the police action. We hope that the accused servitors will be apprehended soon,” said Agrawal.