Complete ban on smartphones inside Srimandir

PURI: The Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) on Wednesday decided to impose a complete ban on use of smartphones inside the Srimandir premises.Informing this after the Chhatisa Nijog meeting, SJTA chief administrator Vir Vikram Yadav said apart from devotees and security personnel, servitors will not be allowed to carry smartphones inside the 12th century shrine.

Only the commander of the Jagannath temple police (JTP) can use a smartphone for official communication. The servitors will be allowed to enter Srimandir with the conventional keypad phones.

Yadav further informed that the resolution will be placed before the temple managing committee meeting which is slated to be held on December 15. After it is approved, the ban on smartphones will be effective from January 1 next year.

The decision to completely ban smartphones was taken after several devotees secretly captured photos and videos inside Srimandir and uploaded those on YouTube.A number of such devotees were arrested and are facing trial in the court. In their defence, they had pleaded ignorance of the ban on camera and cellphone inside the shrine.