Indian President, first lady humiliated for being low caste Dalit
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NEW DELHI – In another endorsement of rising class difference between the polarized Indian society, it has surfaced that the president Ram Nath Kovind and his wife Savita Kovind were mistreated during their trip to Jagannath Temple in Odisha.
The couple visited the sacred place in March, however, it took three months for the administration to ramp up the investigation into the reports that some servitors had obstructed the path of the President near the shrine’s sanctum sanctorum.
Servitors is the term used for the staff responsible for patrolling, security, reception and are also on duty at formal occasions.
What adds fuel to the fire is that the First Lady Savita Kovind was also shoved during the visit, allegedly due to the reason that the couple belonged to the Dalit community – a caste that lies at the bottom of the class categorization in India.
Though the incident did not get much media spotlight, however, the minutes of a March meeting by the Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) confirm that the all-powerful couple was not treated properly.
The SJTA meeting was convened a day after the Rashtrapati Bhavan issued a strong note to Puri collector Aravind Agarwal, lodging protest against the conduct of servitors.
Moreover, the incident was confirmed by SJTA chief administrator, IAS officer Pradipta Kumar Mohapatra who refused to elaborate further.
“We discussed the matter at a meeting of the temple managing committee a few days ago. It is being investigated,” he said.
The incident took place on March 18 when devotees were not allowed inside the temple between 6.35 am- 8.40 am so that the excellencies could have a trouble-free darshan – the arrangement did not materialize as such.
According to a report by Times of India, only a few government officers and servitors were permitted inside the temple to accompany Kovind and his wife.
Another leading Indian daily further claimed that when President Kovind walked towards Ratna Singhasana in Puri Jagannath temple, a Khuntia Mekap servitor did not give the President proper space.
‘Some servitors ‘nudged’ the couple while they were having darshan,’ revealed the shocking report.
Sensing the heat, the temple administration has taken a decision to serve show cause notices to three servitors.
“We can’t understand why the district administration failed to prevent the unpleasant situation. Until now, only common devotees were exploited by the servitors. Now it seems not even the President and his family was spared,” Congress leader Suresh Kumar Routray asserted.
Dalits have been long mistreated in the Indian society that now boasts being liberal and enlightened. The election of Kovind last year as the state-head had somewhat hushed the voices complaining distinction in the society, however, the Odisha temple ordeal has sparked the concerns of expanding class difference in the Hindu-majority region
