Puri: The Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) on Monday expressed regret over inconvenience caused to hundreds of devotees the previous day following a heated altercation between police and authorities of the 12th-century shrine in Odisha’s Puri at Satapahacha over the regulation of queue darshan,
Chief Administrator, SJTA, Arabinda Kumar Padhee attributed the incident to coordination lapses, and confirmed that a thorough probe is underway. “Anyone found guilty will face strict disciplinary action. Steps will also be taken to prevent a recurrence,” he assured.
The darshan system was stalled for nearly 30 minutes on Sunday after JTP commander noticed that the
Srimandir Surakshya Bahini, police personnel stationed at Shree Jagannath Temple, had restricted entry to just one lane, defying the seven-lane barricaded queue system as per the New Year darshan protocol and asked for the remaining six lanes to be opened, leading to a heated exchange.
The SJTA chief also announced stricter measures to ensure controlled darshan by devotees, emphasising on temple administration’s exclusive responsibility for managing protocol arrangements for official VIP guests. “A coordination meeting will be held every month. A draft SOP has already been prepared for the protocol on visits by VIPs. The temple administration will entirely be in charge of the protocol visits,” he said.
“The role of the temple commander is crucial for smooth daily rituals, and we are committed to preserving that position,” he added.
The SJTA will also tighten existing restrictions on use of phones. While devotees have long been barred from carrying phones inside, the new rules will limit usage to only personnel involved in essential temple-related work.