Puri (Odisha): Sri Jagannath Temple Daitapati Ramakrishna Dasmahapatra has come under scrutiny following an interview he gave to a West Bengal TV channel, in which he claimed that the idols (Bigrahas) of Lord Jagannath, Balabhadra, Subhadra, and Mahalaxmi installed at the Jagannath Temple in Digha were carved from surplus Daru (sacred wood) left over from the 2015 Nabakalebar ritual.
The Chief Administrator of the Sri Jagannath Temple, Arvind Padhee, on Sunday summoned both Ramakrishna Dasmahapatra (Secretary) and Ganeswar Dasmahapatra (President) of the Daita Nijog and questioned them regarding the matter.
Padhee interrogated the two for over an hour concerning their involvement. However, neither the Chief Administrator nor Ramakrishna disclosed the outcome of the meeting.
Ganeswar Dasmahapatra told the media that he had answered all questions posed by the Chief Administrator and assured full cooperation with the ongoing investigation.
On Sunday, the temple administration issued a show-cause notice to Ramakrishna Dasmahapatra over his conflicting statements concerning the Daru and Lord Jagannath, which have shocked devotees and allegedly tarnished the image of both Lord Jagannath and the temple administration.
He has been asked to submit his response within seven days. The notice warns that if a satisfactory explanation is not provided within the stipulated time, disciplinary action will be initiated under the Temple Act of 1955.
The notice highlights Ramakrishna’s initial statement to the Bengal TV channel about the use of surplus Daru from the 2015 Nabakalebar, followed by a contradictory statement made on TV channels in Odisha. As a senior Daitapati and Secretary of the Daita Nijog, he is held to a higher standard and should not have made such remarks, the notice added.
Nearly all Nijogs have submitted written statements to the Administrator of Rituals concerning the issue. The temple’s Chief Administrator had instructed all Nijogs to file their written responses by 5 PM on Sunday.
Sources said the Nijogs expressed ignorance about any Daru being removed from temple storage and called for a thorough investigation.
Chhatisha Nijog’s Janardan Pattajoshi Mahapatra, in a letter to the Chief Administrator on Saturday, pointed out serious procedural lapses. He stated that, as per established practice, after surplus Darus were stored in the designated temple room, the keys should have been handed over to the temple administration.
However, during the last Nabakalebar, the administration failed to collect the keys from the Daitapatis, raising suspicions that Daru wood may have been taken without authorization. He called for a formal investigation.
Meanwhile, Jayant Kumar Das, a social and RTI activist, filed a police complaint at the Singhadwar Police Station against Ramakrishna Dasmahapatra, urging his prosecution under sections 314 (criminal breach of trust), 318 (cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property), 317 (dealing in stolen property), 352 (intentional insult to religious beliefs), and 409 (criminal breach of trust by a public servant) of the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita (BNS).
Priya Darshan Patnaik, convenor of Jagannath Sena, also filed a complaint citing similar BNS sections as those mentioned by Jayant Das. He strongly objected to the use of the name "Jagannath Dham" for the Digha temple and urged the Odisha government to raise the issue with the West Bengal government.
Odisha Law Minister Prithviraj Harichandan confirmed that the matter has reached the Chief Minister and assured that no one will be spared if found guilty of defaming Lord Jagannath.
