Man Found with Surveillance Glasses at Puri Jagannath Temple

A devotee was apprehended by authorities for concealing cameras embedded in his spectacles within the Jagannath temple on November 7, according to officials. He has been named as Bharat Pandya from Ahmedabad, Gujarat.

Photography and videography are explicitly forbidden within the 12th-century shrine. Officials noted that this marks the fifth instance of individuals attempting to bring hidden cameras into the temple grounds in recent months.

In another case, a man named Shankar Mishra from Jajpur district was discovered entering the sanctum sanctorum disguised as a servitor. “It’s challenging for police officers to identify anyone dressed as a priest. Only temple servitors or temple police can recognize such individuals,” stated the police.
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Temple servitors and attendees have called for a more robust legal framework to avert such violations within the shrine. In the meantime, the Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) has suspended three servitors for misconduct and breach of protocol.

Suar Badu servitor Narayan Panda and Khuntia servitor Rajaram Khuntia were suspended for two months following a dispute over offerings from devotees and allegedly collecting money against temple regulations.

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Mahasuar servitor Bena Mahasuar has also faced suspension for using vanaspati instead of the designated OMFED ghee in temple rituals, according to a temple official.