Four Persons Detained Over Murder Of Puri Jagannath Temple Servitor

Puri: Police have detained two more persons in connection with the murder of Krushna Chandra Pratihari, a senior servitor at the Jagannath Temple in Odisha’s Puri, taking the total number of persons detained in the case to four.

On Sunday night, police detained Kalia Singhari and his son Dolagobinda, according to reports. All four were named in the police complaint filed by Pratihari’s brother Narasingha.

Police did not give more details about the detentions.

Puri police have formed four special teams. While two teams are conducting raids in Pipili, Satapada, Brahmagiri and Krushnaprasad, the other two teams are carrying out raids in Ganjam, Balasore and Bhadrak.

Pratihari, a former member of the Jagannath Temple Administration managing committee, was shot dead close to his house at Barabati Jagaghara under Town Police limits on March 16 over suspected past enmity.

According to sources, two miscreants came on a motorcycle and opened fire on Pratihari. He was rushed to the district headquarters hospital here but was pronounced dead by doctors.

He was killed in the same manner in which former BJD councillor and servitor Taluchha Bhagaban Mohapatra aka Guna Singhari was murdered in August 2012.

Secretary of Suar Mahasuar Nijog (group of priests dealing with the preparation of Mahaprasad), Pratihari was named as the prime conspirator in the case along with five others. He was acquitted by the court of the first additional district judge in Puri on January 20 this year for want of evidence.

In the chargesheet, police alleged Pratihari hired goons to eliminate Singhari due to rivalry over land deals and real estate business.

Also read: https://odishabytes.com/two-bullets-removed-from-puri-servitors-head-police-claim-to-have-identified-the-killers/

Also read: https://odishabytes.com/puri-jagannath-temple-servitor-krushna-chandra-pratihari-shot-dead/