Threatening graffiti near Jagannath Temple puts Puri Police on high alert

Bhubaneswar: Puri Police have stepped up security after graffiti threatening an attack on the Jagannath Temple was found on the walls of a small shrine near the 12th-century landmark on Wednesday.

The message, written in Odia, read “Terrorist will destroy the Temple” and appeared in two places on the wall of Budhi Maa Thakurani temple, located on the southern side of the Jagannath Temple near the Balisahi entrance of the Puri Parikrama Prakalpa Marg (Heritage Corridor). It also mentioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi and listed unverified phone numbers.

Puri Superintendent of Police Pinak Mishra said efforts were under way to trace and apprehend the person responsible.

“It was found that some objectionable posts have been written regarding the Jagannath Temple. We have taken cognizance of this incident. Our special team has already started an investigation to ascertain when and who wrote this. We have been taking the issue seriously as it is related to the security of Jagannath Temple,” Mishra said.

Police are reviewing CCTV footage from the temple and surrounding areas and have already obtained some leads, he added. The graffiti is suspected to have been written on Tuesday night.

Some locals claimed that a mentally unstable person had been seen scribbling in the area over the past few days.

The incident comes weeks after pilgrims, senior servitors and locals raised concerns over security lapses at the temple, following reports of unidentified individuals scaling the Meghanada Pacheri, the outer boundary wall, during the Rath Yatra festival.