Puri: Singhadwar Police detained a woman foreign tourist for allegedly entering Srimandir here on Saturday.
According to sources, the security guard at the entrance of the temple failed to identify the foreign tourist and detain her during her entry to the 12-century-old shrine where the entry of non-Hindus is prohibited. It was a servitor who spotted the woman foreign tourist near Baisipahacha and informed Singhadwar police.
On a tip-off, police prevented her from entering the temple and detained her for interrogation. Police are verifying the identity, VISA, and Passport of the tourist.
On March 4, nine Bangladesh nationals were detained by police for allegedly entering the Jagannath temple which is against the temple norms.
They were detained after a few Vishva Hindu Parishad members spotted the Bangladeshis entering the 12th-century shrine. They had lodged a complaint with the Singhadwar Police alleging the non-HIndus entered the temple violating the norms under the Shree Jagannath Temple Act, 1955.
During interrogation, the foreigners reportedly admitted that they were unaware of the temple guidelines that non-Hindus were not allowed inside the temple.
