A Bangladeshi YouTuber was arrested by Odisha Police for allegedly taking photos of the sanctum sanctorum of Puri's famous Jagannath temple and posting them on Facebook, PTI reported. The 23-year-old was later granted bail by a local court as the offence was non-cognizable in nature.
Photography of any kind inside the Jagannath temple is strictly prohibited.
The pictures were posted by Akash Chowdhury, a resident of Bangladesh's Sylhet, on Facebook a week ago. The viral images sparked concerns over security at the 12th century shrine.
A case was registered against Chowdhury at Singhdwar police station in Puri by the temple administration, police said. The police then sent summons to Chowdhury, who returned to Puri on Monday from Vrindavan.
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He was arrested under various sections of Shri Jagannath Temple Act, 1954, and the IT Act, for violating rules and clicking pictures of the sanctum sanctorum and then posting them on Facebook. Chowdhury's phone and passport were also confiscated, PTI reported.
"Chowdhury, a YouTuber and member of a religious outfit, hails from Radhakunj Sarada Bhawan of East Zinda Bazaar in Sylhet district of Bangladesh. He had allegedly secretly taken some photographs on his mobile phone inside Shree Jagannath Temple and subsequently shared those on Facebook," PTI quoted a police officer as saying.
The servitors of the temple, which draws lakhs of devotees yearly, raised questions over the security lapses. One of the servitors said it must be probed how a foreigner managed to click images inside the temple despite a ban on use of gadgets inside the shrine.
There is a three-tier security in the temple and devotees are allowed to enter only through the 'Singha Dwara' or Lion's door. Police personnel are posted at various places inside the temple.