BHUBANESWAR: The Lingaraj Temple administration on Tuesday issued a show-cause notice to Niti Supervisor Raj Kishore Mohapatra for carrying a mobile phone inside the 11th-century shrine during the visit of actress Shilpa Shetty.
Mohapatra was seen explaining the details of the shrine and its various rituals to the actress, who visited on Monday evening.
Despite a strict prohibition on carrying mobile phones inside the temple, Shetty was seen recording her visit.
The Bollywood actress later posted pictures and a video of the shrine on her social media handles, which sparked criticism.
People alleged a lack of policing and accused the servitors of showing favoritism towards VIPs by allowing them to violate the temple’s protection guidelines.
Amid widespread backlash, the Lingaraj Temple administration issued a show-cause notice to the Niti Supervisor.
Meanwhile, the temple servitors shifted the blame onto the police deployed at the temple, accusing them of allowing VIPs to bring mobile phones into the shrine, including the sanctum sanctorum.
"Last week, two VIPs entered the shrine with mobile phones, yet no uproar followed. This has always been the case, but no action is taken against the police officers responsible for preventing such incidents, while VIPs use their mobile phones openly in front of everyone," alleged servitor Shiba Prasad Mohapatra.