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Bankey Behari temple to restrict use of mobile phones during darshan
Munish Sharma, an official of the temple’s management, said the step was at a trial stage and one among many under consideration to streamline the movement of devotees at the temple.
The Mathura district administration and police have decided to restrict the use of mobile phones during ‘darshan’ at Sri Bankey Behari Temple in Vrindavan.
During a trial run conducted earlier this week, devotees were asked to lock their phones in bags near the entry point and carry the bags with them. They were able to get the phones out near the exit.
“Devotees often carry their camera-equipped phones into the temple and photograph ‘Thakur Ji’, which is in fact prohibited by the temple administration,” stated senior superintendent of police (SSP) Shailesh Pandey. “Also, devotees make live videos and reels and take longer for darshan. This hampers crowd movement. As such, various ideas are being mulled to resolve this issue,” Pandey added.
“This idea involved the use of bags that were locked with phones in it. The RFID-equipped bags were unlocked at the exit,” Pandey added.
Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) uses radio waves to identify people or objects. The technology reads information contained in a wireless device or “tags” it from a distance without making any physical contact.
Munish Sharma, an official of the temple’s management, said the step was at a trial stage and one among many under consideration to streamline the movement of devotees at the temple.
It may be recalled that two devotees died of suffocation during the 2022 Janamasthami celebrations at the temple. Instances of devotees fainting at the temple are also often reported.
The idea of setting Bankey Behari Corridor on the lines of Kashi Vishwanath Corridor in Varanasi was mooted by the state government to solve the space crunch, and the matter is pending before the High Court of Allahabad.
