Puri: An assistant of a servitor at the Jagannath Temple in Puri, also known as jatri gumasta, has been arrested on charges of sexually assaulting a minor boy inside the temple.
The accused identified as Sudarsan Mishra had been regularly sexually harassing the minor boy, who is pursuing Veda Patha at Panda Nijog inside Shree Jagannath Temple.
At around 1 pm on October 4, the boy was near Niladri Vihar when Mishra forcibly dragged him and tried to commit sexual assault on him, but he escaped from the spot and reported the matter at Singhadwar Police Station.
Based on the complaint, Mishra was booked under sections 377 (unnatural offences), and 511 (attempting to commit offences punishable with imprisonment for life) of the IPC and section 10 of POCSO. Mishra was subsequently arrested and forwarded to the Court on October 5.
It is pertinent to mention that it is the third such arrest in a year. On December 10, 2021, servitor Laxmi Narayan Khuntia had been arrested for sexually assaulting a 16-year-old boy inside the temple. Earlier on October 9, 2021, a priest Sangram Dash was arrested for allegedly molesting a minor girl from Hyderabad inside the temple.
Mihir Panda, Additional SP, Puri
