Bhubaneswar, 14 January (H.S.)

Bhubaneswar, January 14: Reacting strongly to the disruption of rituals at the Sri Lingaraj Temple and the deity being forced to remain in fasting, Ekamra (Bhubaneswar) MLA Babu Singh on Wednesday termed the incident as extremely unfortunate and warned of strict action against the sevayats responsible for halting the temple rituals.

The legislator said that the role of sevayats is confined to performing services in the temple and not to taking decisions related to temple rituals. He pointed out that the suspension of Sri Lingaraj’s rituals has deeply hurt the religious sentiments of devotees and said such incidents are unacceptable under any circumstances. He appealed to all concerned to exercise restraint and respect the faith and emotions of the devotees.

Babu Singh further stated that if the government does not take immediate steps to address the issue, the matter can be discussed after the completion of the rituals. Reiterating his stand, he said sevayats involved in stopping the rituals are not fit to perform temple services and must face appropriate administrative action.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Monalisa Panda