Ileana takes back complaint - Accused servitor appears in court, secures bail: Puri Sankaracharya Nischilananda Sarswati and Ileana Citaristi, Odissi dancer Ileana Citaristi today withdrew her complaint against servitors of the Jagannath temple in Puri. She had accused servitor Krushna Chandra Dasmohapatra, 75, of assaulting her atop Lord Jagannath’s chariot on July 21. A group of servitors had met her at her house here and expressed regret over the incident. Today, Krushna Chandra appeared in a local court and secured bail. Italy-born Ileana “Servitors, including their president Ramakrushna Dasmohapatra, met me last night along with their family members. I have decided not to pursue the case. I personally feel relieved. I am not against anyone, my stand has been vindicated.” On July 21, Ileana lodged an FIR with Puri police, alleging that a servitor had manhandled her atop Nandighosha, Lord Jagannath’s mount. She had accused Krushna Chandra of hitting her on head when she refused to pay him dakshina (offerings) of Rs 1,000. After the incident, the chariot’s chief servitor Jagannath Swain Mohapatra had threatened not to allow foreigners to climb it for darshan from the next car festival onwards. However, Puri Sankaracharya Nischilananda Sarswati today sought more time to pronounce his decision on the issue. The temple administration had sought the Sankaracharya’s opinion on the issue. The servitors, temple administration and others have agreed to follow his directives. Temple administration, however, was tough in its decision and asked the police to go ahead with the inquiry. The police met Ileana at her house on July 23 and recorded her statement. The temple administration had issued notice to the Daitapati Niyog president Ramakrushna Dasmohapatra on issue. As pressure mounted on the servitors after the incident triggered a public outcry, they tried to amicably settle this issue. Krushna Chandra went with the Daitapati Niyog president to Ileana’s house and expressed regret over the incident. Niyog president said: “Ileana is a magnanimous lady. When we met her, she became quite emotional. She also expressed her desire to forget the incident. She is like the daughter of Krushna Chandra, who allegedly misbehaved with her.” He said all necessary documents would be submitted in court regarding the withdrawal of Ileana’s FIR. In another development, the Sankaracharya had called two rounds of meeting with the temple administration, Puri King Gajapati Maharaja Dibya Singh Deb and the servitors to arrive at a decision on the issue of banning foreigners from climbing the chariots during rath yatra. “Sankaracharya treats both the chariots and the inner sanctum sanctorum of the temple as sacred. If the temple administration writes to the Sankaracharya asking about his views on the entry of non-Hindus inside the sanctum sanctorum and their right to see the deities on the chariots, he will give his opinion by September 15,” said the Sankaracharya’s public relations officer Manoj Rath. However, temple administration is yet to take a decision on this. Noted scholar Surjyamani Rath Sharma said: “No one should be allowed to climb the chariots. When the Lord is on the chariot, all rituals followed in the temple are observed on the chariot. It becomes a place of worship. So, no one should be allowed to vitiate that sanctity,” Rath Sharma said. However, since there is a tradition of allowing devotees to meet the Lord on the mounts during rath yatra, Rath Sharma said he did not object to it.
Posted on: Tue, 30 Jul 2013 05:51:13 +0000
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