Jajpur, Feb. 3: The tranquil, serene atmosphere of the concluding day proceedings of the international Buddhist conference in Udayagiri was broken today by a snake scare and an agitation of local residents.

More than 70 local residents led by the former sarpanch of Majhipada staged a dharna against non-inclusion of local scholars in the three-day international event on Buddhist studies.

They also demanded resignation of the state tourism and culture minister Maheswar Mohanty for his remarks on the development of the Buddhist circuit in Jajpur.

Zilla parishad member Ajay Kumar Samal also staged a protest yesterday near the conference venue at Patharajpur demanding exemplary action against Mohanty.

Besides the protest, the valedictory event in the morning session of the conference had to brave a snake scare.

A foreign delegate first spotted a serpent, which was believed to be a cobra.

The snake was later rescued by the security personnel. But its very appearance had panicked the delegates, who ran for safety.

Over with the snake scare, 200 scholars, including 18 from abroad, Buddhist monks and others got into serious business on the last day of the three-day global event.

“Such conferences should take place more frequently so that more and more young minds are motivated to research on Buddhist studies,’’ said Portnip Watanasurakit, a delegate from Thailand.

Speaking on the occasion, governor Muralidhar Chandrakant Bhandare said: “Odisha is one of the five states in India where Buddhist monuments exist. Because of the architectural nature and aesthetics of the monuments, not only researchers, but general tourists will also love to come to Odisha after the conference.”

Himanshu Prabha Ray, chairperson of the National Monument Authority, said: “There are 120 Buddhist monuments in Odisha. But only eight are protected. The state government should take a leading role to protect and preserve all these monuments.