Bhubaneswar, 15 April (H.S.) : A complaint has been lodged at the Singhadwara police station in Odisha’s Puri district seeking an investigation into the alleged disappearance of three jewels from the outer chamber of the Ratna Bhandar of the Shree Jagannath Temple.

The complaint was filed by members of Shri Jagannath Sena, who have demanded a thorough probe into the incident and strict action against those found responsible.

The issue came to light after Justice Biswanath Rath, chairman of the temple’s Jewels Monitoring Committee, informed the media that three ornaments were found missing from the outer Ratna Bhandar.

Reacting to the development, the organisation’s convenor Priyadarshan Patnaik questioned how the ornaments went missing and why a proper inventory was not conducted when the valuables were shifted from the outer chamber to a temporary storage facility. “The incident has hurt crores of Jagannath devotees,” he said.

Patnaik further alleged that despite the matter coming to light, there were attempts to suppress it. He urged the state government to order a detailed investigation and ensure stringent action against those responsible. The organisation also warned that if appropriate action is not taken, it will approach the Central Bureau of Investigation and stage protests on highways in the coming days.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Monalisa Panda