With more lurid details of the ‘Brahma Parivartan’ bunglings coming out in the open triggering massive public outcry, a nervous State Government has resorted to desperate damage control measures.
Even as a state-wide lawyers’ agitation is building up, the Government on Tuesday managed to elicit apology from Daitapatis.
“It (Brahma Parivartan during day time) was a blunder. I, on behalf of the Daitapati Nijog (union of 36 Nijogs) apologise and commit that such mistake will not occur again,” Daitapati Nijog secretary Premananda Dasmohapatra told mediapersons.
After deposing before the Chief Administrator of Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) Suresh Mohapatra, the secretary promised that the rituals of ‘Rath Yatra’ will be be carried out with utmost sincerity and devotion.
The climbdown by the servitor body is seen as a tactical move by the Government to assuage the hurt religious sentiments of millions of devotees in the State and outside. The four ministers who were dispatched to Puri by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik have been holding intense parleys with the servitors and the administration to find a way out of the mess.
Meanwhile, the protest call given by the Puri Bar Association has found support from different lawyers’ bodies, including the Orissa High Court Bar.
The general body of the High Court Bar Association passed a resolution stating that all lawyers will abstain from court work on Wednesday demanding judicial inquiry into the incident. Stern action should be initiated against all persons responsible for it, secretary Bijay Kumar Ragada said.
The demands have been echoed by the All-Odisha Lawyers’ Association. The Bhubaneswar Bar Association has also extended its support to the protest and unanimously decided to observe one-day ceasework on Wednesday.
Premananda was among the four Daitapatis who deposed before the the temple administrator on Tuesday. Others who deposed include Ramakrushna Dasmohapatra, president of Daitapati Nijog, Binayak Dasmohapatra and Narsingh Dasmohapatra.
The temple administration has given showcause notice to Nabakishore Patimohapatra, Badagrahi of Lord Sudarshan, for assigning the job of ‘Brahma Parivartan’ to his brother Debaraj Patimohapatra.
Minister of State for Law Arun Sahu on Tuesday held an urgent meeting with the temple administrator and Law Secretary B P Routray. The four ministers stationed at Puri also held a separate meeting with chairman of Nabakalebara Infrastructure Monitoring Committee Maheswar Mohanty and discussed the progress of various projects.
Minister of State for Energy Pranab Prakash Das and Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare Atanu Sabyasachi Nayak met the Chief Minister on Tuesday.
However, both the ministers were tight lipped about what transpired at the meeting.
Meanwhile, the Congress and the BJP have extended support to the lawyers’ bandh call.
Prasanta Patnaik