BHUBANESWAR: In a massive security lapse at the Shree Jagannath temple in Puri, four persons entered the shrine by scaling its Meghanada Pacheri (outer boundary wall), despite heightened security arrangements and AI-enabled camera coverage for Rath Yatra.
The trespassers climbed a large mound of garbage adjoining the Meghanada Pacheri’s southern wall to gain access into the 12th century shrine, posing questions on the security bandobast.
The incident took place on Tuesday when preparations were underway for Niladri Bije, the entry of the Trinity into the temple after Rath Yatra. A video of the incident went viral on Wednesday following which the Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) has formed a fourmember committee to probe the security lapse and circumstances that led to it.
Although the motive behind the trespassing is not clear yet, sources said, the four climbed atop the Meghanada Pacheri to witness the ‘Goti Pahandi’ of the three deities. The SJTA committee led by administrator (development) Debabrata Sahoo includes OSD (security), sanitation officer, and the civil engineer in charge of the shrine’s infrastructure.
Admitting the lapse, Puri collector Chanchal Rana said investigation is underway and efforts are on to identify the four trespassers. Several tonnes of garbage generated from the Srimandir kitchen and Ananda Bazaar is dumped near Meghanada Pacheri every day. While sanitation around the shrine is the responsibility of the local municipality, it has outsourced the work to a private agency.
CCTV footage being checked, response sought from cops: SP
There are standing instructions to the municipality and sanitation agency to clear the garbage around the shrine every day and it is being done. However, during Bahuda Yatra and Suna Besha, the entire area was barricaded and restrictions imposed on vehicular movement around the shrine which is why the agency was not able to clear the garbage mounds with the help of trucks,” he said.
Rana added that accountability will be fixed and those responsible will be taken to task. He also mentioned that the lock on the gate on the southern side of Meghanada Pacheri seemed to have been broken. Stating it as a sensitive issue, Puri SP Pinak Mishra said an explanation has been sought from Jagannath Temple Police (JTP) and others in charge of Srimandir security.
“This incident took place inside the Srimandir Parikrama and the area was also barricaded. During crowd management, there might have been an oversight on part of the security personnel. We are checking the CCTV footage. The miscreants will be identified and strict action taken against them,” Mishra said.
Pointing out that there are garbage mounds on both Dakshina Dwara and Uttara Dwara, Mishra urged the SJTA and Puri administration to immediately clear them and ensure that the area is kept clean to prevent such occurrences.
He informed that an SOP will soon be prepared to better enhance the shrine’s security. Following intelligence on potential terror threats, the Shree Jagannath temple has been put under high security by the state government.