Puri: The complete ban on smartphones inside Puri Srimandir comes into effect from Sunday (January 1) as per the decision of Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA).
Apart from devotees, servitors, police personnel and administrative officers, and staff of Srimandir will also deposit their smartphones at designated counters before entering the shrine.
Servitors entering the temple will have to deposit their smartphones at the counters at south gate and Singhadwar (main gate) of Srimandir. Only the commander of Jagannath temple police (JTP) can use a smartphone for official communication.
Notably, a restriction on the use of cellphones and cameras in the temple had been imposed in 2017.
A few days back the Singhadwar police had registered a case against a devotee, suspected to be from Bangladesh, for allegedly uploading a photo on social media. As per the Shree Jagannath Temple Act, phones and cameras are prohibited and photography and videography banned inside the temple. Doing so invites imprisonment for up to two months and a fine of Rs 1,000.
Police said such electronic devices pose a security threat to the temple, which is among the high-risk category shrines in the country.
Police have also installed banners outside the temple to sensitise devotees about the ban on the use of cameras and phones in the temple. Security personnel at the four entrances have been asked to frisk devotees properly.
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