Servitor Thrashes Devotee At Ananda Bazaar Of Puri Jagannath Temple

Puri: A devotee was allegedly thrashed by a servitor at Ananda Bazaar of Lord Jagannath Temple in Puri on Friday.

The victim identified as Brajabandhu Biswal of Banapur area lodged a written complaint at the Singhadwar police station in this regard.

“The servitor scolded me after I washed my hands using water kept in a pitcher at Ananda Bazar. In no time, the servitor lost his cool and started beating me up. He also misbehaved with my wife and daughter who had come with me to eat Abhada,” Biswal said.

According to a police officer, an investigation into the matter is underway. The servitor has been detained and is being questioned, the officer stated.

A similar incident had taken place on June 12 after a servitor, Santosh Kar of the shrine was arrested by police on charges of molesting a girl.

The shameful incident took place when the girl, a resident of Berhampur in Ganjam district went inside the temple for darshan along with her family members. The servitor tried to touch the victim inappropriately, following which she caught hold of his hand and raised an alarm.