PURI: With police investigation and action against people involved in arson during Puri bandh gaining momentum with more and more arrests, the members of Chhatisha Nijog (confederation of different servitor bodies of Jagannath temple) claimed on Friday that no servitor was involved in the violence. They put up a poster on the temple wall with the claim.
The few servitors spotted in the CCTV footages were not office-bearers of Chhatisha Nijog but belong to different political parties and the nijog has nothing to do with their work, they claimed in the letter.
The poster also stated that many persons masquerading as servitors participated in violence. The poster alleged that there was an attempt to defame the servitors in general and amicus curiae is being wrongly briefed by Chief Administrator P K Mohapatra, who blamed the servitors.
Meanwhile, police are scanning the CCTV and media footages to identify the criminals who indulged in arson. More than 100 persons were identified and listed for police action. Four special police teams along with armed contingents were raiding their houses and hideouts, said sources.During interrogation, police learnt that three servitors had funded anti-socials to create mayhem during the bandh.
In another development, police rounded up at least 20 more anti-socials in connection with the violence during Puri bandh protesting queue system in Sri Jagannath temple on Wednesday. Interrogation is on at an undisclosed location. On Thursday, police arrested 11 accused and forwarded them to court of Sub-Divisional Judicial Magistrate which sent them to jail.
On the other hand, protesting against the attack on the house of local legislator and Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Maheswar Mohanty, hundreds of BJD activists took out a rally from the party office through the Grand Road and held a public meeting near Gundicha temple.
All the six legislators, along with Minister Pradip Maharathy, addressed the gathering and condemned the cowardly action of BJP workers who barged into the residence of Mohanty. They demanded stringent action against them.City BJD president Sabyasachi Mahapatra conducted the proceedings. Earlier, the BJD leaders had a closed door meeting in their party office over the issue.