Chhattisgarh Man Held For Flying Drone Over Puri Jagannath Temple

Puri: The Singhadwar Police here on Friday evening detained a person for illegally flying a drone over Shri Jagannath Temple, Odisha, which comes under a no-fly zone.

As soon as the drone was spotted, police sprang into action, followed it and seized near Marichikote Shani Mandir Street. Subsequently, one Durga Prasad Yadav from Chhattisgarh, who was operating the drone, was taken into custody.

Puri SP Prateek Singh said the drone was spotted at around 7:45 PM above the temple and in the Parikrama area. After noticing the violation, he directed the Singhadwar Police Station and a special team from Puri Police to investigate.

Chhattisgarh Man Held For Flying Drone Over Puri Jagannath Temple (ETV Bharat)

"The police team immediately traced and nabbed the drone operator. The drone has been seized and the person is being questioned. Legal action will be taken," said SP Singh.

Preliminary investigation revealed that the drone was flown despite clear restrictions in place. The Jagannath Temple area is a no-flying zone, and such acts are illegal and punishable, he added.

This is not the first time that a drone was spotted over the 12th-century shrine. On December 3, 2022, a YouTuber Animesh Chakravarthy flew a drone over the temple, recorded videos and then uploaded those online. He reportedly demanded Rs 20,000 per angle for the footage and even used the Odisha Police logo without permission.

Subsequently, a case was registered against him at Singhadwar Police Station. After the news surfaced, Animesh changed his location and applied for anticipatory bail. However, he was later arrested in West Bengal after Puri district police issued a non-bailable warrant against him.

Two months back, in August, a 31-year-old man from Kolkata was caught with spectacles fitted with hidden cameras inside the Jagannath temple. As photography and videography in Srimandir is banned, he was detained at Singhadwar police station for questioning. Upon close inspection, it was found that spectacles were fitted with cameras having recording facilities.

Also Read

Odisha Government To Set Up Digital Library To Preserve Puri Jagannath Temple Rare Records

Lord Jagannath's Ornaments Shifted Back To Puri Srimandir Ratna Bhandar, Inventory Likely Soon