Puri: Singhadwar police has issued a notice to Srinivas Barkhedi, Vice-Chancellor of a Central Sanskrit University, to explain his presence on the chariot during the Rath Yatra here this year. The Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) has issued a directive prohibiting unauthorised persons on the chariots of the lords except for the servitors and temple officials on duty. The CCTV footage and drone camera pictures submitted by the temple administrator, Ajay Kumar Jena, along with his complaint, showed that the Vice-Chancellor, along with one of his associates, was on the chariot dressed like temple servitors.
The police identified the VC and registered a case under various sections of the Temple Act against him. Sources said the presence of many unauthorised persons on the chariots has been noticed, and the police are busy identifying them. Earlier, the three people who were on the chariots during the Car Festival were summoned to appear before the police to explain their position. The temple administration has also issued a show cause notice to a senior Daitapati for facilitating the entry of non-servitors to the chariots in the garb of servitors. Complaints have been filed in this regard in the Singhadwar and Kumbharpada police stations by the temple administration.