Drone spotted over Puri's Jagannath Temple, probe underway
What's the story
A drone was seen hovering over the Jagannath Temple in Puri, Odisha, early on Sunday morning. The drone was first spotted at around 4:10am and stayed in the area for nearly half an hour. The incident has raised major security concerns as the temple falls under a no-flying zone. Odisha Law Minister Prithviraj Harichandan has voiced his concerns over this breach of security.
Legal action
Law Minister condemns security breach
"Flying a drone over the temple is illegal and not acceptable," Harichandan said. He added that strong legal action would be taken against the person who breached the security. The Puri Superintendent of Police (SP) has formed teams to investigate this incident, with hopes to identify the individual responsible and seize the drone.
Ongoing probe
Investigation underway to identify drone operator
"I hope that the person concerned will be identified and the drone will be seized," Harichandan added. To avoid such incidents in the future, he said, the government is mulling deploying police personnel round the clock at four watchtowers surrounding the temple complex. While a vlogger is suspected to have flown the drone, authorities haven't ruled out malicious intent.