Jagannath temple in Odisha shut over servitors-police clash

Bhubaneswar  :  Hundreds of devotees on Friday had to return without 'darshan' of deities at the Jagannath Temple in Odisha's Puri after servitors refused to open the gates as they protested the assault on them by the police.

The rituals of the deities at the 12th century shrine got delayed following a standoff between the police and servitors, said an official.

However, the daily rituals resumed in the evening following a discussion between the servitors and the Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA), said temple chief administrator Pradipta Mohapatra.

Puri Collector Jyoti Prakash Das said the gates of Jagannath temple will remain open till midnight to facilitate devotees to have 'darshan'.

A group of servitors and police personnel had a face-off over the entry of two devotees on Thursday evening.

Police personnel had allegedly prevented three devotees from West Bengal from entering the temple suspecting them as not Hindus. Only Hindus are allowed to enter into the temple.

Temple priest Bhawani Shankar Mohapatra, who was trying to take three devotees inside the temple, argued that they were Bengalis while police did not allow them to enter the shrine. The argument led to a scuffle.