NEW DELHI – In another endorsement of rising class difference betweenthe polarized Indian society, it has surfaced that the president Ram NathKovind and his wife Savita Kovind were mistreated during their trip toJagannath Temple in Odisha.

The couple visited the sacred place in March, however, it took three monthsfor the administration to ramp up the investigation into the reports thatsome servitors had obstructed the path of the President near the shrine’ssanctum 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 alsoshoved during the visit, allegedly due to the reason that the couplebelonged to the Dalit community – a caste that lies at the bottom of theclass categorization in India.

Though the incident did not get much media spotlight, however, the minutesof 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 astrong note to Puri collector Aravind Agarwal, lodging protest against theconduct of servitors.

Moreover, the incident was confirmed by SJTA chief administrator, IASofficer Pradipta Kumar Mohapatra who refused to elaborate further.

“We discussed the matter at a meeting of the temple managing committee afew days ago. It is being investigated,” he said.

The incident took place on March 18 when devotees were not allowed insidethe temple between 6.35 am- 8.40 am so that the excellencies could have atrouble-free darshan – the arrangement did not materialize as such.

According to a report by Times of India, only a few government officers andservitors were permitted inside the temple to accompany Kovind and his wife.

Another leading Indian daily further claimed that when President Kovindwalked towards Ratna Singhasana in Puri Jagannath temple, a Khuntia Mekapservitor 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 serveshow cause notices to three servitors.

“We can’t understand why the district administration failed to prevent theunpleasant situation. Until now, only common devotees were exploited by theservitors. 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 boastsbeing liberal and enlightened. The election of Kovind last year as thestate-head had somewhat hushed the voices complaining distinction in thesociety, however, the Odisha temple ordeal has sparked the concerns ofexpanding class difference in the Hindu-majority region