Emar Mutt Chief Refuses To Vacate Room, Temple

Puri: While the district administration is in the process of demolishing the remaining structures inside Emar Mutt near the Jagannath Temple here, the mutt’s mahanta (chief), Rajgopal Ramanuj Das, on Saturday refused outright to vacate his living room and Gadi Ghar (temple).

“The district administration had earlier assured me that it will not demolish my living room and Gadi Ghar. But now it has made a complete u-turn. I have decided that I will not vacate my living room and Gadi Ghar under any circumstances,” he told the media here.

Referring to the temporary stay provided by the district administration, Das said he will not stay in a container.

The mahanta said that he was facing difficulty as the district administration has disconnected power supply to the mutt. “I need rest as I am indisposed,” he added.

Meanwhile, the district administration began the demolition 11 jewellery shops at Bania Pati. To ward off any untoward incident, 30 platoons of police have been deployed in the area.

On Friday, Das had expressed resentment over the demolition of the Raghunandan Library on the mutt premises.