Bhubaneswar/Puri: The Odisha government Tuesday said it was contemplating amending the Shree Jagannath Temple Act, 1955, to make provision for taking spy cameras and taking pictures or video inside the 12th-century shrine in Puri as a cognizable offence with provision of punishment.
This was stated by Odisha Law Minister Prithiviraj Harichandan while reacting to the frequent trespassing of individuals into the temple, taking hidden cameras in different ways.
The latest such incident took place Tuesday morning when the security personnel nabbed a man identified as Pratish Pal of Paschim Bardhaman district in West Bengal. He was detained and his mobile and glasses were seized.
This came a day after Bipul Patel, a native of Gujarat, was caught while entering the temple with spy camera-equipped glasses. A week ago, a man from Puri town, identified as Abhijit Kar, was intercepted in a similar incident.
The Puri man admitted that he had taken the spy camera-fitted spectacles to capture visuals of deities and interiors.
In all three cases, the police had to release the alleged offenders due to a lack of proper legislation to punish such people, a police officer said.
The minister said, “There should be a proper law to curb such a situation. It is very difficult to identify the people carrying spy cameras inside the temple. The police could know about the spy camera only when there is a flashlight while taking pictures. Therefore, a law is most essential.”
Puri SP Pinak Mishra admitted that it was a real challenge for the police to locate the people taking spy camera inside the temple. He said such incidents are being dealt with strictly. The security personnel are told to keep a vigil on such cases, and discussions are held with the Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) on bringing in a specific law to curb such activities.
The SP said taking mobile phones, video cameras and capturing pictures of the interior of the temple is strictly prohibited.
