Nine Bangladeshis Detained for Unauthorized Entry into Jagannath Temple in Puri
Odisha Police Takes Action Following Complaints of Non-Hindus Breaking Temple Rule
According to an official on Monday, nine Bangladeshis were taken into custody by the Odisha Police for reportedly breaking into the Jagannath Temple in Puri without permission.
They were taken into custody on Sunday night after some activists from the Vishva Hindu Parishad discovered that a number of non-Hindu Bangladeshis had broken temple rules by entering the 12th-century sanctuary. They then complained to the Singhadwar Police Station about this, he claimed.
Puri Additional SP Sushil Mishra said that a police squad responded to the report, arrived at the scene, and took the visitors into custody so they could be questioned.
"There has been a complaint lodged with us over the entry of non-Hindu individuals from Bangladesh into the temple. Nine Bangladeshis have been taken into custody, and we have begun interrogating them," the assistant superintendent of police said.
Only Hindus are permitted entry inside the shrine, per temple regulations.
Mishra said that legal action would be taken against them if it is discovered that they are not Hindu.
"Their passports are being checked by us. One of them was discovered to be Hindu. We are examining other people's passports. Four of the nine inmates may have entered the temple, according to preliminary inquiry findings, he said.
