Statements of Daitapatis recorded by temple administrator

Rajkumar MohantyPuri, June 23: Four Daitapati servitors of Lord Jagannath today appeared before the court of temple chief administrator Suresh Chandra Mahapatra in response to the notice issued to the earlier with regard to the mismanagement in the Brahma Parivartan rituals during Nabakalebara of the deities last week.The four – Binayak Dasmahapatra and Narasingha Dasmahapatra who played the role of Biswabasu and Bidyapati during the Banajag Yatra, Ramakrushna Dasmahapatra, president and Premananda Dasmahapatra, secretary of the Daitapati Nijog – explained before Mohapatra about the rituals and the cause of the inordinate delay that occurred during the shifting of the Brahma from the old idols to the new one on June 16.Daitapati Ramakrushna Dasmahapatra is the chairman of Odisha State Coir Corporation and an important BJD functionary in Puri.Deba Patimahapatra, the brother of Nabakishore Pati Mahapatra the Badagrahi of Sudarshan, who actually performed the Brahma Parivartan, also submitted his statement on the issue.All the statements, recorded separately, were kept in separate sealed envelopes.After collection of the statements of all concerned the sealed envelopes would be opened and the authority would ascertain the cause and identify the culprits, it is learnt.Law Minister Arun Sahoo also met the temple chief administrator Mahapatra in the temple office and after some discussion the Minister told media persons that the discussion was to streamline the preparations for the annual Rath Yatra.As directed by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik yesterday, Urban Development Minister Pushpendra Singh Deo, Energy Minister Pranab Prakash Das, Health and Family Welfare Minister Atanu Sabyasachi Nayak and others who arrived in the city and had a meeting with Maheswar Mohanty, chairman of the Nabakalebara Infrastructure Development Committee and took stock of the progress of their respective departments.