BHUBANESWAR : After a photograph of the sanctum sanctorum of the Shree Jagannath temple went viral on social media on Wednesday, Law minister Prithiviraj Harichandan said the state government has planned to introduce stricter punishments to deal with such repeat rules violations inside the shrine.
Speaking to mediapersons, Harichandan said the government was also contemplating on bringing amendments to the original Shree Jagannath Temple Act to prevent such violations in the future.
“Steps are being taken to enforce a complete ban on photography, mobile phones, smart glasses and cameras inside the temple, a provision that is not clearly mentioned in the old law. The Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) is seized with the matter and will take a decision in this regard soon,” he added.
Stating that the government has taken a serious view of such repeated acts of indiscipline inside the temple, the minister said such violations will not be tolerated in the future. “People involved in such incidents do not come to the temple to worship, they come only to create drama to get attention on social media,” he said.
Meanwhile, the incident has raised serious questions on the security measures at the 12th century shrine.