KalingaTV News Network
Puri: The Sri Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) on Tuesday decided to install CCTV cameras inside the ‘Bhitara Katha’ or the final entry point for the devotees in the temple. The step was taken to keep the Sunday-like incident in which a devotee was brutally assaulted by some servitors, at bay.
Informing on the decision, Pradeep Das, Niti Administrator, SJTA, said that the purpose of installing CCTV is to keep a tab on the activities of the servitors as well as the devotees inside the ‘Bhitara Katha’ during ‘darshan’.
Das said the temple administration had taken the Sunday’s incident in which a devotee from Maharashtra namely Chetan G Amolkar was attacked along with his wife by some servitors over refusal to payment hefty ‘dakshina’ to perform ‘darshan’ with a serious note. The CCTVs would be instrumental in checking the reoccurrence of such incidents in future, he added.
However, as per the decision the CCTVs installed inside the ‘Bhitara Katha’ would remain functional only during the ‘darshan’. Those would be switched off during the performance of the temple rituals.
Meanwhile, the Chhatisha Nijog suspended two servitors Somanath Mekap and Madan Khuntia over their involvement in the Sunday’s incident. The temple administration has also suspended these two from their duties for an indefinite period.
Kalinga AI