SC bars policemen from entering Odisha's Puri Jagannath temple carrying arms, wearing shoes

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Wednesday barred policemen from entering Odisha's Puri Jagannath temple carrying arms and wearing shoes. The apex court has also asked the Odisha government to file a response within the next two weeks.

In a related development, the top court has also taken into note the violence that had broken out during a protest against the introduction of a queue system for devotees.

Last week, a violence erupted in Puri after members of Shri Jagannath Sena and a few devotees vandalised property at the Jagannath Temple Trust office. Section 144 was imposed in the areas near the temple to maintain law and order.

The violence erupted during a 12-hour bandh called by a socio-cultural organisation protesting the introduction of a queue system for devotees visiting the Jagannath Temple. It left at least nine policemen injured.

The dawn-to-dusk shutdown in the seaside town called by Sri Jagannath Sena turned violent as a mob barged into the 12th-century shrine, uprooted barricades erected on Baisi Pahacha and near Singhadwara and ransacked the office of Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA).

The protesters ransacked a police outpost and an information centre near the Singhadwara as well as the town police station, besides burning tyres and indulging in stone pelting.