Four scale garbage heap to enter Puri temple premises
The SJTA Chief Administrator has formed a committee, headed by the administrator (security), to inquire into the matter, Puri District Collector Chanchal Rana told reporters after a video of four persons scaling the garbage heap near 'Meghnada Pacheri' (outer boundary wall) went viral in social media.
'Admitting that there was a lapse', Rana said the committee will probe into the alleged breach of security. 'Trespassers are being identified and accountability will be fixed in this incident. Subsequent action will also be taken,' the Collector said. Stating that the district administration has taken the matter 'seriously', the Collector said the CCTV footage will be verified and the persons involved in such activities will be identified.
It was seen in the video that four unidentified men gained unauthorised access into the shrine by scaling the outer perimeter wall, using a large pile of garbage accumulated near the wall as support. The incident took place on Tuesday despite elaborate security arrangements in place during and after the annual Rath Yatra and Niladri Bije rituals.
Biswanath Khuntia, a servitor, said he has witnessed many people scaling the garbage heap and entering the temple premises. 'The number of people illegally entering the temples is not four, it could be hundreds,' Khuntia said. The devotees expressed concern over the incident and raised questions on the utility of AI-enabled cameras for the security of the 12th-century shrine, which is under the scanner of mischief mongers. In the post-Pahalgam terror attack, the intelligence agencies had warned the Odisha Police regarding the Puri temple remaining on the radar of terrorist outfits, an official said.
Former member of the Temple Managing Committee and renowned sand artist Sudarsan Pattnaik said: 'It is surprising that despite the huge deployment of security forces during Rath Yatra, no one spotted them climbing the wall and entering the premises. This is a clear case of lapse on the part of the security agencies.'
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