Sikkim CM stirs controversy over Jagannath temple photo on Facebook

The Sikkim chief minister’s Facebook post immediately drew criticism from several quarters, as photography is strictly prohibited inside the temple.

Published on: Aug 30, 2025, 15:29:07 IST

By Debabrata Mohanty

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Bhubaneswar: Sikkim chief minister Prem Singh Tamang has stirred a controversy after he shared a photograph taken from inside the premises of the Jagannath Temple in Odisha’s Puri on his official Facebook page.

Sikkim chief minister Prem Singh Tamang. (File Photo)

Tamang visited the temple on Friday to offer prayers to Lord Jagannath and soon after his visit, his Facebook page showed him standing near the Maa Mangala temple inside the temple premises. “Blessed to visit the sacred Jagannath Temple, which radiates peace, devotion and spiritual energy,” the Facebook post of Tamang said.

The post immediately drew criticism from several quarters, as photography is strictly prohibited inside the temple. Questions are now being raised over how the CM was allowed to carry a mobile phone inside the temple though everyone is frisked before entering the shrine.

Just two days ago, a 31-year-old man from Bengal was detained for using spectacles fitted with a hidden camera inside the shrine. On July 29, another individual from Puri was caught with a hidden spy camera capable of transmitting live visuals directly to his phone.

Perturbed over such incidents, the Odisha government is contemplating amending the Shree Jagannath Temple Act, 1955, to make provision of taking spy cameras and taking pictures or video inside the 12th-century shrine in Puri as a cognizable offence with provision of punishment.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Debabrata Mohanty
Debabrata Mohanty is a senior assistant editor of Hindustan Times who works as state correspondent from Odisha covering the state's politics, governance, public policy, natural disasters, environment and its society for close to three decades. With his long years of reporting from the state capital of Bhubaneswar, Mohanty has been known as one of the most experienced and credible journalists covering Odisha for the national English dailies. His reporting combines on-ground detail with deep institutional knowledge detailing the state's changing politics, governance issues, administrative reforms and the functioning of its public institutions. He has regularly reported on issues ranging from legislative developments and public policy implementation. Politics is his core areas of expertise as he closely tracks Odisha's political landscape, including the rise and transformation of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), the two principal political parties in Odisha. His long association with the state's political establishment enables him to write on contemporary developments in a larger political context. Mohanty takes a deep interest in writing human interest stories, environmental issues and documenting the impact of cyclones, floods, heatwaves, and other climate-related events in one of the most disaster-prone states. His coverage extends to public health, governance reforms and stories on accountability of government institutions. Before joining Hindustan Times, Mohanty worked with The Indian Express, Mail Today, and The Telegraph, where he covered at least six general elections and as many assembly elections. In 2007, he was selected for the prestigious Chevening Young Indian Print Journalist Programme at the University of Lincoln, United Kingdom, where he received advanced training in print journalism. In 2009 he won the Press Institute of India-International Committee of Red Cross award on conflict reporting for his on-ground reportage of 2008 Kandhamal riots.Read More

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