Priests suspended over Bramha Paribartan fiasco threaten hunger strike

Bhubaneswar: Daitapati servitors Jay Krushna Dasmohapatra and his father Kasinath, who were suspended over Bramha Paribartan (soul transfer) fiasco during Nabakalebara, have threatened to sit on hunger strike. They are demanding revocation of their suspension.
"The SJTA falsely implicated me and my father in the fiasco and barred us from performing our hereditary services at the shrine.Rath Yatra is scheduled for July 6 and the services of Daitapati community will commence from June 18. If the SJTA does not revoke our suspension, we along with our family members will sit on hunger strike in front of the temple," said a letter sent by Jay Krushna to the shrine administration on Wednesday.
The progress of investigation into the Bramha Paribartan disruption is still a mystery. "The delay is causing us unnecessary mental agony. The SJTA should complete the probe and punish us if found guilty. People of the state should also know the reasons behind the disruption in the ritual," he added.
The SJTA officials refused to comment on the issue.
The father-son duo was suspended on June 24, 2015, amid public outcry over the fiasco.
Though Brahma Paribartan was scheduled to be held on the intervening night of June 15 and June 16, it was performed the following afternoon. When four Daitapatis assigned to perform the task were about to enter a closed room in the temple to conduct the ritual, Jay Krushna allegedly demanded that his father Kasinath be allowed to accompany them. Haladhar Dasmohapatra, who performed Brahma Paribartan of Balabhadra, strongly opposed it. Jay Krushna picked up a quarrel with him and attempted to storm into the secret room with his father. He misbehaved with other priests, said a temple officer. The scuffle between the two groups delayed the ritual, the officer added.
Though Jay Krushna had challenged the suspension in the Orissa high court, his petition was rejected on July 24, 2015.