THIS comes days after a Japanese woman tourist was terrorised into paying more money by a guide at Konark. This time, a tourist from West Bengal got a taste of high-handedness at the Puri temple.

Santosh Das (45) of Hugli,West Bengal, had never imagined that his darshan of Lord Jagannath along with his family members will become unpleasant during the Shahan Mela.

According to a complaint filed in the police station today, Das was in a queue for darshan along with his family members when a servitor suddenly started pushing one lady member of the family.

When Das protested, the youth allegedly assaulted him. A bleeding Das was rushed to the hospital by his family members. Das suffered a fractured nose and bleeding injury which needed six stitches on the face.

Police are yet to identify the servitor. No arrest could be made while Das is nursing his wounds. ‘It all happened in the presence of policemen. My request to police to nab the culprit went unheeded and none came to my rescue,’ Das said. ‘I will never forget this incident in my life,’ a visibly upset Das added.

Police said investigation is on and they are trying to nab the culprit.

A week back, the State Government had chalked out a detailed scheme to make tourists, in particular from abroad, feel secure. It stressed setting up more police stations, strengthening police presence among others.