Police declares 8 Puri temple servitors as 'absconders'

Unable to trace the erring servitors of Puri temple on the run, the district police today declared eight of them as "absconders" and pasted their photographs at several places in the holy city.
Though the police have so far arrested 12 servitors on charge of creating disturbance during Niladri Bije of Lord Jagannth on July 17 night, eight of them continued to remain untraced.
The eight absconders servitors included Damodara Mahasuara and his brother Jayakrusna Mahasuara, who allegedly abused and manhandled Puri Collector Aravind Agarwal.
Others were: Saina Khuntia, Bhimsen Palankadhari, Ipsit Pratihari, Rabi Dash, Kashinath Khuntia and Bhagirathi Khuntia.

The move comes after the district police secured non-bailable warrants (NBWs) against six servitors from the Puri SDJM court.
"The NBWs against six absconding servitors have been received. We have issued posters with photographs of eight servitors as they are evading arrest and are not in Puri. We are also conducting raids in different places to nab them," Puri SP Sarthak Sarangi said.
Sarangi said the Puri police will take help of the crime branch of Odisha Police to circulate the posters as the absconders might have gone outside the state.
Puri Collector Arvind Agarwal had on July 18 forwarded two complaints to the district SP Sarthak Sarangi naming six sevayats for their alleged role in creating disturbance during the conduct of Niladri Bije rituals.