FIR against Raveena Tandon for shooting inside temple in Odisha

A case has been registered against actress Raveena Tandon for allegedly shooting an advertisement in no camera zone of a temple in Odisha. The actress was accused by the administration of Lingaraja temple in Bhubaneswar for shooting the advertisement in an area of the temple where no cameras were allowed.

The actress, however, dismissed the allegations saying there was no shooting of advertisement at the temple. “It was no agency and no advertising. It was all locals and members of the Mandir Trust and some media who were filming on their mobiles phones and also taking selfies.”

Please see the lady in the picture . She is a local and had her mobile phone in her hand . While I did not . pic.twitter.com/w8Ld4awFj6 — Raveena Tandon (@TandonRaveena) March 6, 2018

She further said that she was not aware of the phone ban in the temple, claiming that even local authorities did not alert her team or raised objection when photographs were clicked.

“I understand temple authorities are distraught as everyone around me (organisers, security, pandits, locals) were using cellphones, clicking videos, taking selfies. I was not aware of phone ban, hence the issue,” said Raveena Tandon.

The incident come to the fore after a video surfaced on social media featuring Tandon offering beauty tips inside the temple premises and it is recorded by a person with a mobile phone. She had visited the temple on Sunday.

"The temple administration has filed a complaint against Raveena Tandon at Lingaraj Police Station for shooting an advertisement film in the no camera zone," said Rajiv Lochan Parida, the management-in-charge of the temple administration.

Admitting that such an FIR has been lodged, Bhubaneswar DCP Satybrat Bhoi said the police are examining the allegations.

Only servitors are allowed to carry mobile phones inside the temple, Parida said adding it is a clear case of violation of the security norms. The incident has also hurt sentiments of the devotees, he said.

The Archaeological Survey of India has also launched an investigation into the matter.

(With PTI Inputs)