Bhubaneswar, Nov 27: A youth was caught on camera smoking a cigarette inside Lingaraj Temple and later posting the image on social media, sparked controversy among the local community.
The incident took place inside the Lingaraj Temple in OldTown in Bhubaneswar, where the individual, identified as Debi Prasad Das, shared a photo of himself smoking near the temple’s restroom area on his Instagram account (debi_105) on Monday.
The photo quickly went viral, sparking outrage. In the image, Das can be seen standing near the temple’s sanctum while holding a cigarette. Upon seeing the post, temple officials and local youth volunteers expressed their concern, and the image began circulating on phone to phone in the locality.
In response to the incident, temple officials have increased vigilance, keeping a close vigil on various areas around the temple premises. Some volunteers have even mentioned that they will inform the police if Das is caught. Temple authorities have also indicated that they will file a formal complaint with the police regarding the incident.
This is not the first time such incidents have occurred. Earlier in October, a similar controversy erupted when a viral video of a Bollywood actress, Shilpa Shetty, shooting a video at a temple surfaced. Despite the increasing frequency of such incidents, no action has been taken so far.
Lingaraj Police Station Officer-in-Charge, Purna Chandra Pradhan, stated that if any formal complaint is lodged by the temple administration or any concerned party, the police will conduct a thorough investigation.
