Bhubaneswar, 15 January (H.S.): A video showing a person using a mobile phone at Ananda Bazaar inside the Jagannath Temple in Puri has gone viral on social media, triggering serious concerns over a possible security lapse at the revered shrine.

The incident has raised questions about how the individual managed to enter the temple premises with a mobile phone despite multiple layers of security checks and strict prohibitions on carrying electronic devices inside the temple. In the video, the person is seen speaking on the phone for an extended period within Ananda Bazaar.

This is not an isolated incident. In recent months, several instances of photographs and videos reportedly taken inside the temple have surfaced online, pointing to recurring security challenges. In October last year, a mobile phone was recovered from within the temple premises, following which a temple gumasta (employee) was detained and questioned at the Singhadwar police station for allegedly taking photographs.

In another incident, two youths were apprehended while taking photographs using a hidden camera concealed in a pair of spectacles. They were immediately detained by police personnel on duty.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Monalisa Panda