The 30-year-old man who allegedly damaged 40 chullahs (earthen hearths) in the rosaghara, the sacred kitchen of the Shree Jagannath temple in Puri, has been arrested by the police from Khordha district.
“The suspect identified through close circuit television (CCTV) footage has been detained. His name is J. Mohapatra. He hails from the Begunia Police Station [jurisdiction] of Khordha district,” Kanwar Vishal Singh, Puri Superintendent of Police (SP), said on Wednesday.
“We are not disclosing much detail about the accused due to some investigation constraints. During the day of the incident, he had come to visit the Shree Jagannath temple and other temples in Puri. As per his statement, he felt some uneasiness and went to the holy kitchen for damaging the earthen hearths,” Mr. Singh said.
“We got the clue about the man from the railway station. Multiple teams proceeded towards different places. Based on human intelligence and help from local police, we managed to locate and arrest him,” he added.
The man had confessed to committing the crime, the SP said. He has been forwarded to the court.
“As of now, it appears that his statement is vague. The man is not able to tell us his motives behind damaging the hearths. Our investigation will continue to ascertain his motive,” Mr. Singh said.
The damage to the hearths shocked the temple’s devotees. Considered the biggest kitchen of any shrine in the country, the holy kitchen is an important structure of temple.
The Shree Jagannath temple’s massive kitchen has 240 chullahs. More than 500 sevayats (who perform ritual services) belonging to the Suara (cook) and Mahasuara communities are involved in the preparation of 56 different items every day, including a variety of rice dishes and sweets, which are offered to deities, Jagannath, Balabhadra and Subhadra. Sprawled over an area of 15,000 sq. ft., the kitchen as several large halls and is about 20 ft in height.
It is suspected that rivalry between two groups of Suara sevayats led to the damaged hearths.
The accused person’s parents told local TV channels that he is a devotee of Shree Jagannath and becomes irritated upon finding untidiness at places of worship.
