In an unprecedented incident in the history of the Jagannath Temple here, unidentified miscreants vandalised as many as over 40 Chulahs (earthen ovens) in the Rosaghara (kitchen) of the shrine on Saturday night.
This has again raised questions on the security arrangements at the centuries-old shrine.
It was suspected that the miscreants broke the Chulahs after preparation of food for the evening rituals of the deities. But who committed such an sacrilegious act and with what motive was yet to be ascertained.
Meanwhile, the temple administration has begun an inquiry into the incident. Puri district Collector Samarth Verma also visited the temple to take stock of the incident.
Verma formed a joint team consisting of the temple’s Niti and security administrators to investigate the incident and submit a report within two days. After the team submits the report, action would be taken against the guilty, told Verma to reporters.
On the other hand, some servitors blamed the SJTA for the incident. They questioned as to how the miscreants managed to break so many Chulahs at night when the temple was closed and was under police security.
They alleged that some officials are involved in the incident; and this was done to divert attention from the controversy over the Heritage Corridor project.