Odisha Police said on Wednesday that two graffiti threatening that “terrorists will demolish the Jagannath Temple” in Puri district were found on the wall of a small temple near the 12th-century shrine.
One of the graffiti reads, “Terrorists will demolish the Srimandir. Call me, or else there will be destruction,” reported news agency PTI.
The text written in Odia was found on the wall of Maa Budhi Thakurani Temple located at Bali Sahi. “There are several phone numbers mentioned on the wall of the temple. Words such as ‘PM Modi’, ‘Delhi’ were also mentioned,” a Puri resident was quoted as saying by PTI.
Puri’s Superintendent of Police (SP) Pinak Mishra, who visited the spot, said: “We have taken cognisance of the matter and are taking it very seriously. We have got some information, and police teams are being formed to arrest those who are behind such a threat.”
The police are verifying the CCTV footage in the area, and it appears that the threats were written on Tuesday night.
“CCTVs have been installed at several places. Security guards have also been deployed. Investigation is underway on a war footing,” the SP said.
The police are also trying to ascertain the motive behind the mischief.
Odisha govt rejects proposal for online sale of Jagannath Temple’s ‘Mahaprasad’
The Odisha government has rejected the proposal made by some organisations for the sale of Puri Jagannath Temple’s ‘Mahaprasad’ on an online platform, state Law Minister Prithviraj Harichandan said.
Speaking to reporters in Bhubaneswar on Monday, Harichandan said some organisations recently requested the Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) to deliver the Puri temple’s ‘Mahaprasad’ and ‘dry prasad’ to devotees through online platforms.
“Though it was a good idea to provide the prasad to devotees worldwide, the government and SJTA rejected the proposal to preserve the sanctity of the holy offering,” he said.
“We have doubts about whether the sanctity of ‘Mahaprasad’ can be maintained if it is transported and delivered in this manner,” he said.