Protecting the sanctity and security of the deities of Shree Jagannath Temple is the first priority of every devotee. The persons who defy must be punished, said the speakers at a Press conference organised by the Shri Jagannath Sanskruti Suraksha Manch here on Wednesday.
Manch convener Dr Prafulla Rath, co-convener Shakti Sankar Mishra, Pramod Das and Bhabani Shankar Kar expressed their concern over the rising irregularities in the performance of various rituals of the deities in the Puri temple.
Expressing unhappiness over the incident of touching the deities, the speakers criticised the police and the temple administration for their negligence.
The Manch also condemned the inaction of the administration and the State Government against the persons defying the decision of the Shreemandir Management Committee and Puri Shankaracharya Swami Neeschalananda Saraswati’s that the deities must not be touched at any cost.
The Manch also expressed its concern over the delay in repairing the Jagamohan because of several formalities maintained at the time of decision making. It demanded that the Superintendent Office of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) should be set up at Puri. The Manch appealed to the temple administration to protect the deities and also their dignity and demanded arrest of Daitapati Jagannath Swain Mohapatra for making defamatory remarks against Puri Shankaracharya and Shri Gajapati Maharaj.
An awareness campaign has been started throughout the State for protection of sanctity and security of the Jagannath Temple, said coordinator Dr laxmikant Dash.
