Puri: The Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) has served a show-cause notice to a senior sevayat in connection with the gross irregularities in the Brahma Parivatan of the Lords in 2016 and asked him to reply within 15 days, failing which action would be initiated against him under the Shree Jagannath Temple Act.
The notice, issued by the SJTA chief administrator Pradipta Mohapatra on November 14 to Premananda Dasmohapatra, secretary of the Daitapati Nijog, has squarely blamed him for gross irregularities during the Brahma Parivartan rituals of the Lords.
The notice has sought a clarification from the Dasmohapatra about the irregularities he had committed despite being the secretary of the Daitapati Nijog, while the secret rituals were to be exclusively performed by the three Badagrahi sevayats.
It has also been mentioned in the notice that though the temple administration had told Dasmohapatra about the rules of the secret rituals of the Lords during their Brahma Parivartan, he had openly flouted the order by allowing other sevayats to the place where the rituals were conducted. Despite being restrained by the Badagrahi sevayats, Dasmohapatra himself had forcibly witnessed the secret rituals.
Apart from Dasmohapatra, the notice has also named five sevayats—Biswanath Dasmohapatra, Krushna Chandra Dasmohapatra, Nabakishore Dasmohapatra, Jayakrushna Dasmohapatra and Kasinath Dasmohapatra who had also witnessed the Brahma Parivartan rituals.
Meanwhile, in a press briefing here on Monday evening, the Daitapati Nijog secretary demanded a high-level probe into the selection of Daru for the Lords.
“For the first time in the history of Nabakalebara, the three Darus of the Lords were found from one place. There was fixing in the selection of the Daru. According to the rules, the Badagrahis go by foot in search of the Daru during the day. If they are ill, they move on the bullock cart. But the rules were openly violated during Nabakalebara in 2016 as the Badagrahis had gone in search of the Daru in the night in luxurious vehicles. After the selection of Daru, they had informed the president and secretary of the Daitapati Nijog,” Dasmohapatra said.
