'Cow urine, tonsuring heads': How Puri villagers are cleansing themselves amid reports of eatery serving beef

Representative image (Courtesy: Reuters photo)

Days after the Puri district administration in Odisha sealed an eatery over allegations that beef was being mixed in mutton curry, over 300 residents have tonsured their heads as part of a purification ritual.

Advised by local priests, the villagers offered special prayers and tonsured their heads as part of the ritual according to Hindu customs. The men claimed they were unaware that beef was mixed in the mutton curry and have consumed the same unknowingly.

"Local priests advised us to undergo purification rituals according to Hindu customs. The rituals included tonsuring our heads, taking holy dip and offering special prayers. We also organised community feasts and gave donations as part of the cleansing process," The Times of India quoted Bichitra Mohanty, a resident of Chandanpur area in Puri district, as saying.

Several men from Puri's Kanas village even consumed cow urine as a way to seek repentence, claimed a local. "At least 70 men from the village shaved their heads and received mahaprasad from Jagannath Temple. They drank cor urine and bowed before cattle, seeking absolution," Jayant Nayak told TOI.

Last week a video went viral in which a man, captured during a cattle trafficking operation by vigilantes, claimed that beef was supplied to several roadside hotels along NH-216. He specifically named one eatery under Sakshigopal police station jurisdiction, a place well-frequented by locals and passersby for its mutton dishes. It was only then that the district administration promptly took action.

Puri district collector Siddharth Shankar Swain said the administration acted swiftly and sealed the eatery in the presence of a magistrate, as the matter was sensitive to the religious sentiments of the people.

"We took the incident into cognisance and sealed the eatery. Raids were conducted at other places after getting information. The viral video is the primary source of information and it is being verified by the administration," he said.

People named in the video are being questioned and strict action will be taken against those found guilty, the collector added.