No mobile phones to be allowed in Puri’s Jagannath Temple: GC Murmu

GC Murmu said no one, including police and servitors would be allowed to carry mobile phones inside the temple complex

Published on: Oct 14, 2025, 21:36:50 IST

By Debabrata Mohanty

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The Srimandir Security Sub-Committee on Tuesday announced a total ban on mobile phones on the 12th-century Shree Jagannath Temple premises, which would apply not only to devotees but also to servitors and police personnel.

An outside view of Jagannath Temple (HT FILE PHOTO)

“This is not to inconvenience anyone but to protect the sanctity and security of the shrine,” Girish Chandra Murmu, who heads the temple’s security sub-committee, told reporters on Tuesday.

“No one, including police and sevayats (servitors), will be allowed to carry mobile phones inside. Instead, servitors will be given closed-circuit walkie-talkie devices for communication, said Murmu, the former Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India.

“The Shree Jagannath Temple is not just a place of worship but a symbol of faith for millions. Our responsibility is to ensure its security — quietly, effectively, and without disrupting its sacred rhythm,” he said.

The security sub-committee is a first-of-its-kind body under the Shree Jagannath Temple Managing Committee, chaired by the erstwhile Puri king Gajapati Maharaja Dibyasingha Deb. The panel is tasked with recommending upgrades following several lapses, including reports of devotees carrying mobile phones and spy cameras inside the sanctum, and of unauthorised filming of temple rituals.

Murmu said a comprehensive security blueprint was being drawn up to ensure foolproof protection of both the temple’s physical and digital assets. “We are preparing a detailed plan that will cover internal and external security. Inputs from the district administration, police, and senior servitors will be taken before finalising it,” he said.

The new plan will likely include measures on risk assessment, surveillance expansion, vulnerability management, and cybersecurity — a first for the temple.

Murmu said the changes can be incorporated into the rules, and there will be no need to amend the Shree Jagannath Temple Act, 1955. The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) will also be consulted to ensure that any new security measures do not harm the temple’s heritage structure.

Temple security has been a recurring concern in Puri, especially after multiple instances of drones being flown over the temple complex. Senior officials said the regulatory gap has now been addressed after the Directorate General of Civil Aviation officially declared the Jagannath Temple a “Red Zone” or no-fly zone, prohibiting any unmanned aerial vehicle operations in the area until September 25, 2028.

Puri superintendent of police (SP) Prateek Singh said the designation will enable stronger action. “We now have the legal framework to deal strictly with violations. The Red Zone notification is a crucial step toward tightening airspace security around the shrine,” he said.

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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