Another Foreign National Breaches Security Cordon To Enter Jagannath Temple In Puri

Puri: For the second time this month, a non-Hindu foreign national breached the security cordon and entered Jagannath temple in Odisha’s Puri on Saturday.

The foreign national, who had tonsured and was wearing traditional Hindu dresses, was found roaming by the servitors near Beharan gate inside the temple in the afternoon. On being informed, personnel from Singhadwar police station near the temple rushed to the spot.

While the police arrived there, he tried to escape from their clutches. However, he was nabbed after a struggle and detained at Puri Town police station. The police identified him as Thomas Craig Sheldon from United Kingdom from his driving licence .

The police have started investigation into how Thomas entered the temple by dodging the security personnel by examining the CCTV footage from the temple. Earlier in the day, the Sea Beach police station had detained him for causing nuisance in an inebriated state on the beach near Swargadwar.

Meanwhile, the servitors and local people have raised concern over repeated entry of foreign nationals into the temple despite three-tier security around the 12th century shrine. Non-Hindus are strictly prohibited from entering the temple. A notice in this regard has been put up on display in front of the main gates of the temple.

On March 23, a woman from outside country had also entered the temple and a few Bangladeshi nationals had also been caught from inside the temple on March 3.