Puri: A police complaint has been filed against Ramakrushna Dasmohapatra, President of the Daita Nijog of the Shree Jagannath Temple in Puri, accusing him of smuggling surplus sacred Neem wood (Daru) from the 2015 Nabakalebara rituals to West Bengal.

The complaint, lodged by rights activist Jayanta Kumar Das at the Singhadwar Police Station, alleges that Dasmohapatra, along with an accomplice, committed criminal breach of trust and misappropriated religious property. Das further claimed the act hurt the religious sentiments of millions of Jagannath devotees and violated Article 25 of the Constitution, which guarantees the freedom of religion.

Per the complaint, Dasmohapatra—who also serves as the State General Secretary of the Biju Janata Dal—allegedly supplied the surplus sacred Neem logs to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for the construction of deities at a newly established Jagannath Temple in Digha. The complainant stated the logs were provided without the knowledge or approval of the Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA).

Earlier in the day, the Odisha Government ordered an inquiry into reports that sacred Neem wood from the 2015 Nabakalebara ceremony was used in the Digha temple construction. Law Minister Prithiviraj Harichandan directed SJTA Chief Administrator Arabinda Padhee to initiate a probe into the matter.

Reports also suggest several Puri servitors, including Dasmohapatra, were present at the recent inauguration of the Digha Jagannath Temple.