11 Arrested For Violence In Puri

Puri: Police on Thursday arrested 11 persons for ransacking government properties during the violent protests in Puri the previous day.

Those arrested were later forwarded to the court.

Talking to mediapersons earlier in the day, chief administrator of Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) Pradipta Mohapatra had said that the violence which took place on Wednesday was indeed an unfortunate incident for a peaceful city like Puri. “It was beyond our imagination that things could flare up in such a way. The incident has brought a bad name to the people and the servitors of Puri,” he added.

Mohapatra further said that the police and the district administration were told to exercise maximum restraint. Both the collector and SP and 15 policemen sustained injuries in the violence.

“I had categorically told the people that the dhadi (queue) system was purely experimental and requested the devotees to give their feedback on any problems faced by them. The amicus curiae called me up twice from New Delhi yesterday following the incident and asked me to submit all details, including video footage from the media. He also said that he will visit Puri soon,” he informed.

Talking about the violence, he said some people and anti-socials indulge in such kind of violence. Even those who had organized the bandh had no control over them, he added.

Asked whether the temple administration had lodged any complaint, Mohapatra said the temple administration and the Public Relations office of the temple have lodged two FIRs.