Bhubaneswar, Jan 15: A video showing a person using a mobile phone at Anand Bazaar inside Puri’s Jagannath Temple has gone viral on social media, raising serious concerns about security lapses at the revered shrine. The incident has triggered questions about how the individual managed to enter the temple premises with a mobile phone despite multiple layers of security checks and strict advisories banning electronic devices.

In the viral footage, the person is seen speaking on the phone for a considerable time at Anand Bazaar, a highly sensitive area inside the temple. This is not an isolated case, as several incidents of devotees secretly capturing photos and videos inside the shrine have surfaced in recent months.

In October last year, a mobile phone was recovered from within the temple premises, following which a temple gumasta was detained for allegedly taking pictures. He was later interrogated at the Singhadwar police station. In another case, two youths were caught using a hidden camera fitted into their spectacles to click photos inside the temple and were promptly detained by police.

These repeated breaches have prompted the police administration to take serious note of the situation. Authorities are now planning to tighten security arrangements further to prevent such violations and ensure the sanctity of the holy shrine is preserved.

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