Digha temple row: Internal probe begins, political war of words escalates
Bhubaneswar: Amid controversy over naming of a newly-built temple in West Bengal's Digha as '
Jagannath Dham
', the
Shree Jagannath Temple Administration
(SJTA) chief administrator Arabinda Padhee Saturday met various sevayats (servitors) to investigate possible violations, including reports of surplus wood from Puri being used for idol-making at the Digha temple.
"An
internal inquiry
process has commenced, and results will be available soon," said law minister Prithiviraj Harichandan. "If any disrespect to our culture is found, appropriate action will be taken," the minister said and criticised the 'dham' designation, stating, "There are four dhams across the country, and Jagannath Dham in Puri holds significant importance among them." The other three dhams are Badrinath, Dwarka and Rameshwaram.
Deputy CM Pravati Parida criticised West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee without taking her name, said, "It's not a CM's responsibility to create a dham or place for Sankaracharya. There are established traditions in
Hindu culture
. Whoever has tampered with this has to face the consequences," she said.
Puri MP Sambit Patra also objected to the naming of the Digha temple. "No other place can be called Jagannath Dham. Purushottam Kshetra and Shri Kshetra are exclusively in Puri, where the Lord himself resides," Patra said.
by Taboola
by Taboola
Sponsored Links
Sponsored Links
Promoted Links
Promoted Links
You May Like
Nagelpilz-Laser jetzt 69,90€ statt 229€ (Rabattaktion)
Heilratgeber
Weiterlesen
Undo
Former Rajya Sabha member Amar Patnaik and sand artist Sudarsan Pattnaik also urged the WB CM to correct the nomenclature and not refer to it as a dham.
However, All India Trinamool Congress spokesperson Jay Prakash Majumdar defended the temple and questioned the BJP's stance: "Being a 'Hinduvadi' party, one of their members is raising questions about a Hindu temple. That is the fallacy," he told PTI.
The SJTA chief will continue hearing more servitors on Sunday as the investigation proceeds, according to temple sources. The temple administration on Saturday asked heads of all servitor groups to convey their opinion, if any, on the confusing reports about the temple at Digha in writing by Sunday evening.
The AITC, in its official X handle, posted a video clip of the temple and wrote, "Digha's Jagannath Temple stands as a serene yet powerful symbol of spiritual heritage. It's towering presence invites every soul to pause, reflect, and revere. Come witness beauty woven in faith!"
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
41 minutes ago
- Time of India
PM Modi at G7: Is Carney undoing Trudeau's Khalistan policy?
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney's decision to invite Prime Minister Modi to the G7 summit in Kananaskis, Alberta, scheduled for June 15–17 represents a calculated effort to recalibrate Canada–India relations. The invitation came in the backdrop of wide speculation that Carney might not invite Modi due to deteriorated India-Canada relations over the killing of Khalistani separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Canada last year. Since Canada is just a host to the G7 Summit, it seemed impossible for Carney to decide on behalf of other member countries. Secondly, Carney pointed out India's increasing importance in the global order due to its rising economic and geopolitical strength. Clearly, Carney could not block Modi from the summit. Also Read: Canadian thaw! Mark Carney invites PM Modi for G7 meet by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Semua yang Perlu Anda Ketahui Tentang Limfoma Limfoma Pelajari Undo But there is far more to Carney's comments on inviting Modi to the summit. Carney has pointed at better bilateral understanding over law enforcement issues, hinting at the Nijjar murder probe. "In addition, bilaterally, we have now agreed, importantly, to continued law enforcement dialogue, so there's been some progress on that, that recognizes issues of accountability. I extended the invitation to Prime Minister Modi in that context," he told reporters in Ottawa. However, Carney also went on to downplay the Khalistan issue which was aggressively used by his predecessor Justin Trudeau against India. In a sharp break for Trudeau's policy, Carney said it was an ongoing probe and he would not like to comment on it. Live Events Carney exhibited a clear shift from Trudeau's Khalistan policy which effectively meant pleasing Sikh radicals at home for votes by bad-mouthing India. Continuing with his father's legacy of mollycoddling anti-India Khalistani groups, Trudeau had thrown India-Canada ties under the bus to achieve narrow political gains. Carney appears to be salvaging Canadian foreign policy from fringe domestic politics. Trudeau sacrificed India-Canada ties for narrow political game In the realm of international diplomacy, national interest and geopolitical pragmatism typically guide statecraft. However, Trudeau challenged this conventional wisdom for his petty political game. Trudeau's handling of the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar -- a Canadian citizen and a Khalistani separatist who ran terror training camps in British Columbia to groom hitmen for strikes within India -- marked a rare moment in global politics where a leader appeared to subordinate bilateral relations with a strategic partner to narrow domestic considerations. The Trudeau government's repeated insinuations that India was behind Nijjar's death, despite acknowledging a lack of concrete evidence, not only strained ties with India but also raised questions about the internal pressures shaping Canadian foreign policy. In September 2023, Trudeau shocked the global diplomatic community by publicly asserting that "credible allegations" linked Indian agents to the killing of Nijjar. Canada had not completed its investigation, nor did it provide publicly verifiable intelligence to support the charge. In fact, in subsequent interviews and parliamentary exchanges, Trudeau admitted that no "definitive proof" had yet emerged. For a democratic leader to make such a consequential allegation without conclusive evidence was unusual. It appeared more as a politically calculated move. Trudeau's statement came just months before provincial elections in British Columbia and ahead of a general election cycle where the support of Sikh voters could influence outcomes. Trudeau's willingness to accuse India publicly, in the absence of due process, was a political maneuver to safeguard this voting bloc and ensure continued backing from Jagmeet Singh's NDP, which propped up his minority government in Parliament. Is Carney undoing what Trudeau did? In sharp contrast to Trudeau's shenanigans on Nijjar's murder, Carney exhibited a measured approach to the issue when he was quizzed at a press conference yesterday. When Carney was asked the reasoning behind his decision given the history of sour ties between the two nations over the killing of Nijjar, he said, "Well, first off there is a legal process that is literally underway and quite advanced in Canada and it's never appropriate to make comments in any respect with respect to those legal processes," he said. Also Read: Will Mike Carney's Canada election win end the long chill in India-Canada ties? When asked why, despite the Nijjar probe, he was inviting PM Modi for the G7 Summit, Carney said, "With respect, I gave you an answer that is appropriate to someone in my position about an ongoing legal process, including which federal authorities are directly involved." Carney further said, "I will give you the same answer to any legal process and anyone who holds this office, past and future, will give the same answer to any ongoing legal process because otherwise the individual in this office will interfere." Carney added, "We are a country of the rule of law. The rule of law is proceeding as it should in Canada and I am not going to disrupt that process." This is how Trudeau was expected to respond to the Nijjar issue. But he took to playing municipal-level games in a high-stakes global dispute when even his own agencies ruled out any link to top Indian authorities. Deputy Clerk of the Privy Council and National Security and Intelligence Advisor to Trudeau, Nathalie G. Drouin had issued a statement in November last year, correcting irresponsible speculation by the Canadian police. 'On October 14th, because of a significant and ongoing threat to public safety, the RCMP and officials took the extraordinary step of making public accusations of serious criminal activity in Canada perpetrated by agents of the Government of India. The Government of Canada has not stated, nor is it aware of evidence, linking Prime Minister Modi, Minister Jaishankar, or NSA Doval to the serious criminal activity within Canada," she said. Also Read: India is fifth largest economy, their presence at G7 meeting 'makes sense': Canadian PM Mark Carney Clearly, the Canadian government had no evidence linking Indian authorities to Nijjar murder but still Trudeau and his police officials were issuing misleading statements. Carney seems to be putting a lid on Trudeau's dangerous game of promoting anti-India terrorists to capture Sikh votes with scant regard for Canada's global interests. In backing Khalistani sympathizers for short-term political gain, Trudeau had compromised the long-term integrity of Canada's foreign policy. The episode underscored the risks of allowing domestic electoral considerations to override the careful calibration required in international diplomacy. As global dynamics shift rapidly due to Trump tariffs and emerging geopolitical scenarios, Canada would do well to reassess the cost of allowing fringe politics to dictate state relations -- especially with emerging powers like India, whose geopolitical and economic heft is only set to grow. Carney seems to have understood this. But only time will tell how long he resists the temptation of playing the Khalistan card.
Scroll.in
an hour ago
- Scroll.in
‘Shows apathy': Allahabad HC raps UP government for delay in disbursing Kumbh stampede compensation
The Allahabad High Court on Friday said that the delay in disbursing compensation to the families of those who died during a stampede at the Maha Kumbh Mela pilgrimage site in Prayagraj showed the Uttar Pradesh government's 'apathy to the plight of the citizens', Live Law reported. A bench of Justices Saumitra Dayal Singh and Sandeep Jain also directed the state government to furnish details of the deaths and medical handling of those who died or were injured between January 28 and the end of the pilgrimage. The Bharatiya Janata Party government in the state was also told to submit details of the number of compensation claims it had received and settled, and those that are pending. The stampede had broken out at the Maha Kumbh on January 29 as a large number of pilgrims arrived to take a holy bath on the occasion of Mauni Amavasya, a spiritually significant day in the Hindu calendar. The state government has said that at least 30 persons were killed and 60 others were injured, although several media reports have suggested that the actual toll could be significantly higher. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Adityanath had announced financial assistance of Rs 25 lakh for those who died in the stampede. The court was hearing a plea filed by the husband of one of the persons who died. It expressed concern that the woman's body had been handed over to her family without a postmortem being conducted. The judges took note of the serious injuries reported on the woman, including a crushed rib cage, and questioned the lack of official documentation or communication with the family regarding the cause and circumstances of the death, Live Law reported. The bench directed that medical institutions and authorities in Prayagraj be made parties to the petitions and directed them to file affidavits disclosing details of all patients and dead bodies that may have been brought to the facilities and those dispatched by them between the incident and the end of the Mela. The bench was alarmed that the woman's body was handed over to the family in February but compensation was yet to be provided, according to Live Law.
Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
Simone Biles vs Riley Gaines: Trans debate sparks heated clash on social media
The Musk vs Trump row waves haven't died down yet, and X (formerly, Twitter) has platformed yet another, what netizens are now calling, 'cat-fight'. This time, the participants are Simone Biles and Riley Gaines. What's happening? Olympic gold medalist Simone Biles and former NCAA swimmer Riley Gaines have found themselves embroiled in a public dispute over the inclusion of transgender athletes in women's sports. The controversy ignited after Gaines criticized a Minnesota high school softball team's state championship victory, led by transgender pitcher Marissa Rothenberger. Gaines referred to Rothenberger as 'a boy,' sparking backlash from Biles and others. — Simone_Biles (@Simone_Biles) What triggered the fight? Champlin Park High School's softball team won the Minnesota state title with Rothenberger, a transgender athlete, leading them to victory. Gaines, quite well-known for her opposition to transgender women competing in women's sports, took to social media to express her disapproval, labeling Rothenberger's participation as unfair. She also disabled comments on her post, which led to further criticism. What followed? Simone Biles, the most decorated gymnast in Olympic history and a vocal advocate for inclusivity in sports, used her platform to confront Riley Gaines, a former collegiate swimmer known for campaigning against transgender athletes in women's sports, responded to Gaines' comments calling her 'truly sick' and accusing her of being a 'sore loser,' who bullies transgender athletes rather than seeking inclusion. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Giao dịch CFD với công nghệ và tốc độ tốt hơn IC Markets Đăng ký Undo Biles suggested that instead of attacking transgender athletes, Gaines should work towards creating inclusive spaces or separate categories for them in sports. She also labeled Gaines as a 'bully' for her stance. Simone's X post read, 'You're truly sick, all of this campaigning because you lost a race. Straight up sore loser. You should be uplifting the trans community and perhaps finding a way to make sports inclusive OR creating a new avenue where trans feel safe in sports. Maybe a transgender category IN ALL SPORTS!! But instead … You bully them … One thing's for sure is no one in sports is safe with you around!!!!!' Biles concluded with a final jab, 'Bully someone your own size, which would ironically be a male.' Gaines, of course, fired back at Biles, saying, 'This is actually so disappointing. It's not my job or the job of any woman to figure out how to include men in our spaces. You can uplift men stealing championships in women's sports with YOUR platform. Men don't belong in women's sports and I say that with my full chest.' She also hit back against Biles' suggestion of a transgender category and rejected accusations of body-shaming. The bigger debate: The heated sparring between Biles and Gaines highlights the ongoing debate in sports regarding fairness and inclusion. Gaines argues that allowing transgender women to compete in women's sports undermines fairness due to perceived physical advantages. She has been vocal in advocating for policies that restrict transgender athletes' participation in women's categories. On the other hand, Biles and other advocates for transgender rights emphasize the importance of inclusivity and the need to create environments where all athletes, regardless of gender identity, feel welcome and supported. Studies show that nearly 80% of people support keeping biological males out of girls' and women's sports, but Biles challenges the sports community to find solutions that balance fairness and inclusion with suggesting the possibility of establishing separate categories for transgender athletes to balance fairness and inclusion. Namie sake is making a miracle comeback in Japan's Fukushima
