JEYPORE: Two youths who entered the famous Gupteswar shrine with their dogs and posed for picture near the lingam have triggered a huge controversy, drawing ire of people and raising a poser on the temple management’s efficiency.
Sources said, the two unidentified youths enter into the caved temple with the pets on Thursday in the full view of devotees and temple management. The two went through the main gate by paying temple entry fee and took the stairs before entering the shrine. After that, they are believed to have clicked pictures near the deity with their pet dogs.
Some devotees raised the issue but the two allegedly got onto a verbal duel with them. The devotees kept mum to maintain peace at the shrine.
However, the sensitive issue came to fore on Friday as the video and picture of the incident went viral across Koraput. Angry devotees questioned the negligence of the temple management committee and endowment wing.
“We got complaints from locals after video of the dogs’ entry into the shrine went viral. It is indeed a sensitive issue and has hurt the devotees. I communicated the same to the endowment officials of Jeypore,” Boipariguda block development officer AK Satpathy said.
Koraput SP Rohit Varma termed the incident a matter of concern and said preventive steps against such incidents will be taken by the administration.
Meanwhile, two additional tehsildars of Jeypore and Boipariguda rushed to Gupteswar and began a probe into the incident.
Sources said the gatekeepers and temple priests admitted the entry of the devotees with their dogs and informed they tried to prevent the duo but they apparently forced their way into the shrine despite their protests.