Puri: Barely three days after an assault on Italy-born Odissi dancer Ileana Citaristi on the chariot of Lord Jagannath, the Nepal's royal priest (Rajguru) Madhav Prasad Bhattarai also faced harassment at the hands of a lady police person at the 12th century shrine.
The incident took place last evening when Bhattarai, a guest of Puri Sankaracharya Swami Nischalananda Saraswati, visited Sri Mandir through southern gates of the shrine after he underwent mandatory security checks at the main entrance.
However, according to an FIR lodged by Bhattarai, a lady constable stopped them on the midway within the temple premises and raised suspicion about the royal priest's religion.
"Though we told her that I was a Hindu, she did not listen. However, she allowed us to go after some senior priests intervened," Bhattarai said in the FIR.
Bhattarai who was upset over the development, however, had darshan of the deity accompanied by royal family's temple priest Sunil Pujapanda.
When the matter came to the knowledge of the Shankaracharya, he called up the Puri SP and demanded immediate action against the erring police woman. "We have placed the woman constable under suspension on the basis of the complaint," Puri SP Anup Kumar Sahoo said.
The erstwhile Nepal royal family enjoy special privilege at Jagannath Temple since generations. The Nepal King can perform puja on altar on which the trinity (Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra and Devi Subhadra) are seated.
The incident took place last evening when Bhattarai, a guest of Puri Sankaracharya Swami Nischalananda Saraswati, visited Sri Mandir through southern gates of the shrine after he underwent mandatory security checks at the main entrance.
However, according to an FIR lodged by Bhattarai, a lady constable stopped them on the midway within the temple premises and raised suspicion about the royal priest's religion.
Bhattarai who was upset over the development, however, had darshan of the deity accompanied by royal family's temple priest Sunil Pujapanda.
Advertisement
The erstwhile Nepal royal family enjoy special privilege at Jagannath Temple since generations. The Nepal King can perform puja on altar on which the trinity (Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra and Devi Subhadra) are seated.
Advertisement
COMMENTS
Advertisement
Police Arrest Suspect In Bihar Dalit Girl Kidnapping, Murder Case Man Bites Off Part Of Father's Thumb During Argument Over Property Near Mumbai: Cops Chinese Woman's Refusal To Stow Louis Vuitton Bag Causes Major Flight Delay, Goes Viral Parents Gave Names Of Interns, Doctors To CBI In Kolkata Horror: Sources How Extreme Weather Is Leading To Rise In Child Marriages In Pakistan 3 Days After Big Order On Deposits With SBI And PNB, Karnataka Hits Pause "Far From Over" But Joe Biden Has High Hopes For Gaza Ceasefire Indian Student In UK Develops Revolutionary Carbon-Extracting Biomaterial Video: Woman Tries To Jump Off Mumbai's Atal Setu, Saved By Driver, Cops Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world.