Court orders demolition of Biju Patnaik memorial

The ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD) in Odisha received a setback at the beginning of the new year with a lower court in Puri ordering the removal of the memorial of former chief minister Biju Patnaik from Swarga Dwara, the popular Hindu cremation ground located in the famous temple town.

The court of the civil judge, junior division, has directed the state government and the Puri Municipality to demolish the concrete structure within three months, observing that neither permanent nor any temporary structure is permissible under the law in a public a place like a cremation ground.

The late veteran leader is the father of BJD president and Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik. The regional outfit is named after him. Many people from across Odisha and outside the state rush to Puri to perform the last rites of their near and dear ones in Swarga Dwara (Door to the Heaven) as it is widely believed that if one is cremated in the famous cremation ground, then he or she would straight go to heaven.  The late Biju Patnaik was cremated in Swarga Dwara after his death in the middle of 1997.