Puri: The Singhadwar police in Odisha’s Puri district detained nine non-Hindus who were nabbed while entering the Jagannath temple on Sunday.
According to reports, all nine are from Bangladesh and they were staying at a hotel in Puri Town.
Among the nine, four reportedly entered the 12th-century shrine while the other five persons were found outside, sources said.
The police have detained them and launched a probe into the incident. The cops have also conducted searches at their hotel rooms, sources said.
Notably, non-Hindus are barred from entering the Jagannath temple.
“Five non-Hindus were found at the heritage corridor of Jagannath temple today. We talked to them and came to know that four of their friends had entered the temple. We immediately informed the incident to Singhadwar police. The police detained them and launched a probe. We urge the cops and the district administration to step up security at the shrine,” said Shantanu Pandey, a Vishva Hindu Parishad-Bajrang Dal activist from Puri.
When contacted, an official of Singhadwar police said, “It has been alleged that some non-Hindus had entered Jagannath temple. We detained them and launched a probe. We are verifying their passports and other documents.”