President 'harassed' at Puri temple: Incident only shines spotlight on servitors' many misdeeds, claim devotees

New Delhi: Reports of servitors of Puri’s Jagannath Temple allegedly misbehaving with President Ram Nath Kovind and his wife Savita have brought to light some of these holy men’s purportedly unholy deeds ahead of the famous Rath Yatra on 14 July. Although the president’s office denied reports of misbehaviour with the first citizen and his wife on 30 June, it allowed that there was an ‘attempted breach of security.’ Many have expressed surprise at such reports. But not visitors to the temple, who claim, that in their experience, trouble starts well before entering the 12th Century shrine. Pilgrims are accosted by priests and servitors as soon as they get down at the Puri bus stand a kilometre away from the shrine, they claim. [caption id=“attachment_4248155” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  File image of President Ram Nath Kovind. Reuters[/caption] Servitors loudly compete for devotees and jostle to arrange special pujas, rituals and darshans for money, looking like brokers trying to aggressively poach clients. Donations are often sought openly, people complain, and add that complaints have been filed against servitors for misbehaving with pilgrims, including women and even stealing their belongings. ‘Crowded and pressured’ “I was crowded by some servitors,” said Pranav Anand, a visitor from Pune. “They kept pressuring me to take their assistance for worship and even suggested special darshans. I turned them down multiple times but they followed me until the main shrine. They even turned rude.” Others tell similar tales. “We can’t say about the average number of complaints but there have been cases of people accusing servitors of harassment," said Swargadwara police station in-charge Gokul Ranjan Das. “Such plaints surge whenever the temple sees a large number of visitors.” Servitors vs administration Servitors’ organisation Suar Mahasuar Nijog claimed the servitors are being defamed by the state government. They have filed a case of defamation against Puri collector Aravind Agarwal and temple administration chief Pradeep Jena. Police confirmed to Firstpost they have received the complaint but have not registered an FIR. They said they are mulling further action. The servitors had a run-in with Agarwal in 2016 when they allegedly manhandled him during Rath Yatra, an incident that was condemned by the IAS Officers Association in Odisha. As preparations begin for this year’s Rath Yatra — an annual celebration attended by lakhs of devotees from all around the world — the behaviour of servitors will be under public scrutiny. SC steps in In June, a case was filed in the Supreme Court about visitors being harassed by sevaks, unhygienic environment around the Srimandir and encroachments near the famous Puri temple. The plea also alleged mismanagement of temple affairs and commercialisation of rituals. “Around 50,000 pilgrims visit the temple every day,” Mrinalini Padhi, the petitioner in the case, told Firstpost. “There have been several reports in the media about visitors being harassed. Some have even been thrashed by servitors. I’ve met some victims. Not all servitors act thus. Only some spoil the image of the rest through such acts.” Padhi added most such incidents occur after devotees refuse to pay servitors or avail their services. After hearing Padhi’s case, the apex court ordered that no direct offerings to sevaks should be made and also directed installation of CCTV cameras for better monitoring. It also ordered the state government to form a committee to learn about temple management from other shrines in India. The next hearing in the case is likely to be held on 5 July. Controversy during president’s visit On the morning of 18 March, the temple was closed in order to allow the president and his family to visit. Only a few government officials and priests were allowed inside. During Kovind’s visit, some servitors allegedly created a ruckus inside the temple’s sanctum sanctorum (where the trinity is placed). According to some regional media reports, some servitors obstructed the president when he was leaning forward to place his head on the ‘Ratnasinhgasan’ (on which the trinity is placed). Reports about servitors grazing against the president and his wife and blocking their way of the temple emerged. Initially, there were reports that the president’s office issued a letter to the temple administration but that was denied by the Sri Jagannath Temple Managing Committee administrator Pradeep Kumar Mohapatra. Puri superintendent of police Sarthak Sarangi claimed that the security of president was indeed breached and a report has been given to the temple administration. Denying a notice from the Rashtrapati Bhavan, the temple administration claimed they have taken cognisance of the matter. Phone calls and messages to Sarangi seeking his response relating to the purported security breach and visitors alleging harassment by servitors went unanswered. This is the second time the Puri temple has hit the headlines in the past few months. Recently, the temple was in the news after it was alleged that the Ratnabhandar (temple treasury) keys had gone missing , which kick-started a series of allegations and counter-allegations. Manish Kumar is a New Delhi-based freelance writer and a member of 101Reporters.com_, a pan-India network of grassroots reporters_