6 days ago
Jagannath Temple's 83-year-old servitor killed after argument with neighbour
Bhubaneswar: An 83-year-old servitor of Jagannath Temple was found dead just outside his house in the temple town of Puri on Wednesday afternoon, police said.
The temple servitor, identified by the police as Jagannath Dikshit, who worked as a Mahasuara of the temple. He was found with severe injuries to his head near his house in Gudiasahi, a little after 3pm, after he returned from the temple.
Police said they are scrutinising the CCTV footage showing Narayan Pattajoshi, a neighbour of Dikshit, allegedly throwing him on the road. People in the locality said an argument had taken place between Dikshit and Pattajoshi shortly before the assault. The accused is on the run.
Puri superintendent of police (SP) Vinit Agrawal said the murder appears to be a fallout of personal enmity. 'Preliminary probe suggests that the incident occurred due to past enmity and it will become clearer after further investigation. Efforts are on to apprehend the accused,' Agrawal said.
Diskhit was unmarried and lived alone.
The murder was reported hours after chief minister Mohan Majhi visited the temple town on the occasion of Snana Paurnima when the three deities - Lord Jagannath along with his sibling - Lord Balabhadra and Devi Subhadhra - are bathed in holy waters.
