Of Holy Men & Unholy Acts: Know About Puri Jagannath Temple Priests’ Brush With The Law

Puri: Four special teams have been formed to nab those involved in the murder of Jagannath Temple servitor Krushna Chandra Pratihari, SP Kanwar Vishal Singh informed on Wednesday.

The former member of the management committee of Shree Jagannath Temple Administration was allegedly shot dead by miscreants close to his house at Barabati Jagaghara under Town Police limits this morning. He was also a prominent member of the Suar Mahasuar Nijog of Jagannath temple.

“Two persons opened fire on him near Barabati Jaga, a community hall. He died on the spot. This is a challenging case. Efforts are on to arrest the assailants. The motive of the murder is being ascertained,” the SP added.

Pratihari, whose divine duties included looking after preparation of abhada, the meal served to the Lord, was hit by two bullets on his head, doctors said.

Also Read: Puri Jagannath Temple Servitor Krushna Chandra Pratihari Shot Dead

Notably, he was linked with the sensational murder of former BJD councillor and servitor Taluchha Bhagaban Mohapatra aka Guna Singhari in August 2012 and had to cool his heels behind bars. He was mentioned as the prime conspirator in the police charsgeheet and had allegedly hired goons to eliminate him due to rivalry over a piece of prime land in Puri which both of them wanted. Mohapatra had allegedly used his political links to scare him away.

Pratihari had allegedly planned the murder from the precincts of the Jagannath Temple itself. And the men allegedly hired by him had killed Mohapatra in a similar manner by pumping bullets into his head after accosting him in a community hall.

The court of the first additional district judge in Puri, however, acquitted Pratihari and five others in the case on January 20 this year for want of sufficient evidence.

The strongly built Pratihari is now being suspected to have been killed as part of a conspiracy. He was an influential servitor and wielded considerable clout in the pilgrim town. He is said to have several enemies and involved in different cases in the past.

However, this is not the lone case.

According to a report published in Indian Express, criminal cases ranging from theft, extortion, murder, criminal intimidation and molestation to wrongful restraint have been filed against several servitors in the past.