Man caught with spy glasses in Puri Jagannath Temple

Puri (Odisha), Nov 7 (PTI) A devotee was detained by police for carrying hidden cameras fitted in his spectacles inside Jagannath temple here on Friday, officials said.

He was identified as Bharat Pandya from Ahmedabad in Gujarat.

Photography and videography are strictly prohibited inside the 12th-century shrine.

This is the fifth such incident of visitors carrying hidden cameras into the temple premises in recent months, officials said.

In a separate incident, a man identified as Shankar Mishra from Jajpur district was found entering the sanctum sanctorum dressed like a servitor.

"It is difficult for police officers to identify anyone dressed as a priest. Only temple servitors or temple police can distinguish such individuals," police said.

Temple servitors and devotees have demanded a stronger legal framework to prevent such breaches inside the shrine.

Meanwhile, the Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) suspended three servitors for indiscipline and breach of protocol.

Suar Badu servitor Narayan Panda and Khuntia servitor Rajaram Khuntia have been suspended for two months for clashing over devotees’ offerings and allegedly collecting money in violation of temple rules.

Mahasuar servitor Bena Mahasuar has also been suspended for using vanaspati instead of the prescribed OMFED ghee in temple rituals, a temple official said. PTI BBM BBM MNB